Heartbeat
by subcutaneous
Summary: Set after the Season Two Finale, right on the coattails of Kate's illness, Peter's brush with death and Megan's recovery from her attack, the two women help each other heal even as life continues to spiral. Season Three hopes/predictions. Femslash.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: First, I want to thank the writers, creators and actors for giving us this incredible show and these beautiful characters. Although they are not of my invention, I am completely enthralled with them and cannot begin to express how much joy I take in writing these fics. Should the writers or actors come across this, I hope you will appreciate how much your work has inspired so many of us. Second, I want to thank my Beta for diligently and patiently helping me edit, and for being the love of my life. For this fic, I really poured everything into working with the last three episodes of Season Two and writing what I hope will transpire in Season 3 (#SaveOneShow). It starts off right after "Going Viral Part Two" and continues past "Mind Games." Please feel free to send me a review if you enjoy it. Thanks :)

* * *

It had been two weeks since the Marburg virus nearly took out half of Philadelphia. Vaccines were administered to the rest of the infected patients, quarantines were lifted across the city, and life slowly returned to its normal balance of rectitude versus depravity. Within the walls of the M.E. Office, however, the reprieve from chaos was not quite as swift.

After Dani's funeral, the loss of the fiery young woman felt all the more real, for Peter and everyone else. The halls continued to take on a somber tone as the memorial seemingly went on under the guise of getting back to business. To make matters worse, Kate was still out on mandatory leave, keeping Curtis uncomfortably in charge and driving everyone crazy until she was ready to return. In the meantime, Megan decided she was going to do everything in her power to make sure her boss made a full and speedy recovery.

Late Friday afternoon, she sat on Kate's bed, pressing the stethoscope to her chest, listening intently for the familiar rhythm. Satisfied, she moved the instrument to the crook of her arm, looking up at the blonde while pumping the device with her other hand.

"You don't have keep doing this, Megan. I'm fine."

"Would you stop being so stubborn? Consider yourself lucky I didn't insist you stay with me. The least you can let me do is check your vitals once a day."

Kate rolled her eyes as Megan removed the cold metal from her arm and undid the blood pressure gauge.

"See," Kate challenged as she looked at the numbers Megan jotted down. "I'm practically back to normal."

"Almost," Megan agreed. "But not quite. You still need a few more days' rest."

Kate sighed.

"I'm starting to go crazy here," she mumbled.

"Hey, you could have been at my house listening to Justin Bieber and playing video games," Megan argued. "But you chose to be here. Enjoy the peace while you still can."

Kate smirked. Megan smiled back. She fluffed her pillows a bit before nonchalantly reaching out and brushing some of Kate's blonde hair behind her ear, a move she'd repeated several times since she first revived her at the press conference. Kate hadn't questioned it then. She just barely remembered opening her eyes and seeing the redhead hovering above her, looking terrified. She'd taken comfort in the fact that someone cared enough if she lived or died. Now that she was almost in the clear, however, she couldn't justify the subtle touches, or why Megan continued to be there for her beyond the call of duty. Still, she was not about to tell her friend to stop.

_Friend… "Girlfriend._" Megan had used the later term several times throughout the ordeal. Kate also found this a bit odd, considering the only people she knew who still used that term to refer to a "girl" who was a "friend" were older folks, not realizing how easy it was for people to assume the term indicated a more intimate relationship. She chased the thought away and moved on.

"Thanks," she nodded. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Unless…" Megan mused. "We order some Chinese and find a movie on TV. Assuming we can both agree on something."

The blonde tried not to let her jaw drop into her lap.

"I thought Lacey…"

"She's at Todd's tonight. He's finally back from his vacation."

Kate tried not to think about Todd. She really didn't care that he had moved on so quickly, but the awkwardness of the whole situation as it pertained to her relationship—_friendship_— with Megan still lingered.

"You sure?" Kate swallowed.

"Yes. I told you, I'm impossible to get rid of," she joked, wriggling her eyebrows. "Besides, I could use the company."

Kate didn't dare inquire after Aiden's whereabouts. Though she was nowhere near ready to admit it, she was happy to keep Dr. Hunt to herself for as long as she could.

* * *

Megan tried to help Kate relocate to the couch when their food arrived, but the blonde shook her off. She insisted if she wasn't well enough at this point to make it across her apartment alone, she'd have been dead already. Megan visibly cringed at the remark, but allowed Kate to prove her case.

As they downed their vegetable lo mein and mu shu pork, Kate flipped through the channels intermittently, until they finally settled on E!, which was playing _Bring It On_ for the twelve hundredth time.

"Seriously?" Megan groaned. "You really should have stayed at my place. Lacey loves this movie."

"She interested in cheering?"

"Yes, and I can't say I'm not the slightest bit disappointed. I wish she'd stick with riding."

"Cheering gets a bad rap," Kate defended. "Sure, it has its chauvinistic underpinnings, but at most schools it's become a real sport."

Megan glared at her.

"Let me guess? You…"

"All four years of high school and first semester of college."

"And then?"

"And then, I switched my major from art to biochem and kissed my extracurriculars goodbye."

"Art, huh? You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Kate felt her cheeks grow warm. Megan appeared to be the kind of woman who didn't know she flirted with absolutely everyone. _Or maybe she does_, Kate thought. _Maybe that's part of her power_. Regardless, its effects were not lost on the Chief. She adjusted herself several times as their conversation continued and they forgot about the film playing in the background.

"Can't get comfortable? Here," Megan lifted the blonde's feet onto her lap.

Kate's breath caught in her throat. She had not been touched by someone this much in ages. She chased the thought from her mind once again, accepting the gesture, deciding not to make a big deal out of it. After all, "_what are girlfriends for?"_

At some point they must have stopped talking, and before she knew it, the credits were rolling and she was finding herself drifting in and out of sleep, her feet still planted on Megan's lap. She lifted her head slightly to eye the redhead, amused to find the woman completely passed out, quietly snoring in fact. She looked so deeply asleep Kate couldn't imagine waking her, but the prospect of them spending the night together on the couch also seemed preposterous. _What is this?_ Kate pondered. How had they gone from barely being able to work across from each other in the lab to Megan holding her hand on a stretcher, and again in a hospital bed, risking everything to save her, and an exhaustive list of other gestures that had somehow led them to being this close. She couldn't make sense of it all at the moment as she closed her eyes and drifted off once again.

Megan woke up at about three a.m. and realized she was still at Kate's, much to her surprise. She yawned widely and stretched her arms before becoming aware of the weight holding down her legs. Kate's feet, wrapped up in the warmth of her gray hospital socks, lay strewn across her thighs. She trailed her eyes up the length of the blonde's body to her face, which appeared more at peace and full of color than she had seen it since she'd gotten sick. She wanted to stealthily make her exit but was too afraid she'd disturb her boss, disrupting her much needed REM cycle. _Should be interesting in the morning,_ she thought groggily before adjusting her head against the arm of the couch and falling back to sleep.

* * *

As the light streamed through the blinds across Kate's eyelids, signaling morning, the blonde stirred a little, though not enough to wake Megan. She forgot about the redhead sleeping beneath her ankles until she opened her eyes and saw her curled up in the corner, one arm folded beneath her head, the other draped over Kate's shins.

Kate took a deep breath as she strategized. _Why are you over-thinking this?_ She finally chastised herself before slowly lifting her legs. Megan's arm fell from them, and she jumped at the sensation.

"Huh?" Megan murmured.

"Megan," Kate whispered to her. "Wake up."

Megan turned to look at the blonde, who wore an almost apologetic look on her face.

"Hey," the redhead responded shakily, still half asleep. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay."

"I don't usually doze off on other people's sofas," Megan yawned before eyeing Kate and grinning at her playfully. "Should have picked a better movie."

Kate rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the corners of her mouth from rising.

"Since you're here, can I offer you some breakfast? I'm not sure what I have, but…"

"Coffee?" Megan asked hopefully.

"That I can do."

Megan watched as Kate slowly brought her feet to the floor and stretched before taking pains to stand. She fought the urge to assist her, knowing she'd only tick the woman off. Finally, the blonde adjusted her oversized sweatshirt, which had begun to slide off one shoulder, got her bearings and made her way to the kitchen. Megan eventually joined her.

As she sipped from her mug, Megan continued to watch Kate move around the kitchen. She seemed slower than usual, but she couldn't tell if that was normal for her in the mornings, or…

"What's your diagnosis?" Kate finally broke the silence, jarring Megan from her thoughts.

"What?"

"Think I'll be ready for work by Monday?" She tried not to let the urgency come through in her voice.

Megan looked down into her coffee and sighed.

"Kate, don't push yourself."

"I'm not pushing myself!" Kate finally broke. "Jesus Christ, Megan, it's been two weeks. Believe it or not, I miss my job. Staying busy keeps me sane. You of all people should understand that."

"I do," Megan spoke softly.

"Well?"

"Well…" Dr. Hunt tried to be reasonable. She knew she was being over protective, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't realized how much the woman had grown on her until she almost lost her. She was not about to take any chances. "I'm not your actual physician, but…"

"Really? You're gonna pull that card now? Because that's news to..."

"_But_…" Megan interrupted again. "I think you'll be fine. I'll drop a line to the Commissioner and let her know you're ready, as long as you're sure you feel up to it."

Kate glared back at her, the adrenaline from finally feeling strong enough to stand up for herself making her feel even more invigorated.

"I'm ready," she confirmed.

"Good," Megan sat up straight, finishing her coffee. "Guess I'm done here then." She put her mug down and grabbed her purse off the counter.

"Megan…" Kate followed her. "Seriously, I'm okay."

"I know."

The redhead turned as she reached the door and smiled as sweetly as she could.

"So I'll see you Monday?"

Megan nodded.

"Just don't go rearranging your closet or anything this weekend," she quipped. "Take it easy, okay?"

"Yes, Dr. Hunt."

"I know I've been a bit over-the-top," Megan swallowed, looking anywhere but into Kate's eyes. "But I just… really care about you."

Kate couldn't hide her blush this time.

"Thank you," she breathed deeply. "I…care about you too."

Megan finally looked back at her, continuing to smile nervously. She reached out and squeezed Kate's shoulder. The blonde put her hand over the other woman's and held it there for a moment before letting go. Megan released her grip and was on her way.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate's first week back didn't prove to be very busy, though she was happy to have time to catch up with Curtis, Ethan and the rest of the gang. She and Megan joined each other for lunch almost every day and stayed in the parking lot chatting way past dusk. By Thursday afternoon, Kate was about to ask Megan if she wanted to come over again on Friday for another dinner-and-a-movie date. _Not date_, Kate corrected herself. _Friend…girlfriend…something_.

She made her way to Megan's office and gently tapped on the glass door before realizing she was on the phone.

"_Do I have to say it every time we speak? Fine. I miss you. Happy now?" _

Kate couldn't help but overhear the conversation, assuming it was Aiden on the other end. She tried to signal to Megan that she would come back later, but the redhead motioned for her to enter, and the temptation to listen was far too great.

"_I do too, Aiden. It's just been a little busy around here."_ Megan rolled her eyes. Kate tried not to snort while she stifled her laugh.

"_Uh huh,"_ she seemed to be doing far more listening now, her facial expression shifting from bored to significantly more interested. Perhaps— if Kate wasn't mistaken—even a little turned on. She crossed her legs and immediately regretted leaving her own office.

"_Call me later then? Okay. Bye. "_ Dr. Hunt finally bid the hunky Australian farewell and hung up, turning her attention back to Kate. "Sorry about that."

"Its fine," Kate lied.

"Did you need something from me?"

Kate cursed herself.

"Just…to let you know you can go home early. No more calls have come in. I've got Ethan covering the late shift, so…"

Megan stared at her. Something seemed to be bugging her boss, but she didn't want to come off as overbearing anymore, so she resisted the urge to question her.

"Okay. Well, thanks," she smiled.

Kate nodded, got up, and went back to her office.

* * *

The next day, around three p.m., Megan got a call from Todd saying he had scored last minute Taylor Swift tickets and would keep Lacey overnight after the concert. Megan weighed her options for the evening: go home and bask in the silence, or…

She was happy to see Kate was at her desk, but noted she was on the phone. Far less courteous than the blonde, she tapped on the glass and stepped into the office anyway, catching the end of her conversation. _"See you tonight,"_ Kate said before returning the receiver to its cradle. She looked up at Megan and raised an eyebrow.

"I was just coming to ask if you wanted to get a bite to eat," Megan told her. "But sounds like you already have plans."

Kate continued to shift the papers on her desk, moving from one stack to another.

"Yes. With Dr. Stafford," Kate swallowed. "Charlie."

Megan froze.

"You're going on a date with _Charlie Stafford_? He's still in town?"

"The man's got time on his hands. He lost his job, remember?"

Megan continued to gape. Kate rolled her eyes.

"He's flying home on Monday," she added. "You don't have a thing for him, do you?"

Megan tried not to glare.

"Uh, no. I do not have a _thing_ for him. I'm just surprised you do."

Kate shrugged.

"It's just drinks, Megan. I didn't say I wanted to marry the guy."

"Well I should hope not," she laughed awkwardly. "You barely know each other."

"True," Kate admitted. "Though he did save my life."

"With a little help!" Megan was quick to remind her.

"Of course," Kate smiled, almost facetiously, Megan thought. She continued to stare at her, trying to figure out where this attitude was coming from.

"Sure you're not interested?" Kate finally broke in. "You did work closely together."

"No," Megan emphasized again. "Definitely not interested in him. Besides, I'm with Aiden."

"That's right," Kate spoke softly. "You are."

Megan stood dumbfounded for a moment. _Is she jealous? _She wanted to ask so badly, but her ego wouldn't allow it.

"Alright, Kate. Have fun. Tell Charlie I said goodbye." She emphasized the last part before turning on her heels and heading back to her office. Kate rested her chin in her hands and shut her eyes for a while before getting back to work.


	3. Chapter 3

The next week gave them plenty to stay busy, though not very sane. On Tuesday, a young woman was found dead behind a local bar, her throat slashed, possible sexual assault. Megan, Curtis, Ethan and the others began their investigation, only to find that the girl's brain had been removed through her nose. Immediately, Megan remembered her first case as an M.E., a serial killer who removed the brains of women who rejected him with an Egyptian lobotomy hook. It was a complicated case, and in many ways much more chilling than anything they'd handled before.

It wasn't long before the Chief and her favorite employee began butting heads, as they were apt to do. Kate recognized the marks on the woman's body as part of a sorority hazing ritual. While Megan was happy for the insight, she obviously had a strong distaste for Greek organizations. She scoffed at Kate's admission of having been a sister. Kate tried to brush off the judgment, but for whatever reason, it irked her more than usual. Later, when it looked like Megan had made a mistake that put an innocent man in jail, everything finally started to bubble over.

"_Mistakes happen,"_ Kate tried to assure Megan, though she knew her professional reasons for doing so were coming across stronger than her personal ones.

"_Not to me,"_ Megan bit back.

_That ego_, Kate thought, before letting Megan know exactly what she thought of it. She wanted to trust the woman's instincts, her usual strokes of genius, but couldn't ignore the evidence in front of them. Later, when it turned out Megan was right after all, Kate couldn't seem to find the right moment to apologize. Earlier in the week they had talked about riding to Bud's baby shower together, but that obviously wasn't happening now, and Megan had managed to piss Peter off too. They both made a final attempt to steal Megan away from her work and join them, but she insisted she'd catch up later, so Peter and Kate rode together.

The two made a concerted effort not to talk about Megan in the car. They made it all of about five minutes.

"I don't even know why we bother anymore," Peter shrugged.

"She's completely self-righteous," Kate chimed in. "Criminally so."

"I mean, I don't think I've ever met someone more out of touch with other human beings in my life."

Kate sighed. "And yet… we always end up forgiving her."

"Yeah, well, I let her know I've had it this time. Forgive? Sure. But forget? Not so much."

"She was right though," Kate admitted. "About Wilson Polley."

"That still doesn't give her a reason to be such a…" he trailed off, catching himself. Kate smirked.

When they arrived at the shower together, Kate tried to ignore the looks she kept getting from Sam. She'd told Kate several times she and Peter would make a beautiful couple. Kate continued to scoff at the suggestion. Dating someone she worked with was not something she had ever considered a smart move. Ex-husbands of employees she'd made the mistake of exempting from the rule, so now she was even more hesitant. Still, she could feel Peter subtly trying to take comfort in her presence as of late. Whether it was because he and Megan were on the outs or because he was genuinely interested, she couldn't be sure. He was clearly not over Dani, and she was definitely not interested, but she enjoyed the distraction his company provided for the time being.

"So," he continued to make conversation with her over a beer. "Charlie Stafford?"

Kate rolled her eyes.

"Who told you? Megan?"

"No, he did. I ran into him when he stopped by to pick up the remaining equipment."

"Yeah? What'd he say exactly?"

"Just that the two of you were going out for drinks later that night." Peter winked. Kate got a little nauseous.

"That's right. And that's all it was, drinks."

"Alright, alright," Peter took another swig. "If you say so."

Kate shook her head as Peter's phone beeped.

"Huh," he mused. "That's weird."

"What?"

"I texted Megan a few minutes ago telling her to hurry up and get over here, and she wrote back 'I'm held up.'"

"And?" Kate's patience was waning.

"And, she usually texts in all caps. It's just something she does. No matter how many times we try to tell her it's considered shouting, she insists on doing it."

"So…what do you think it means?"

"I don't know, but it just doesn't feel right. She must be really upset or something."

Kate got an immediate knot in her stomach. She wished she'd had a chance to patch things up with her earlier.

"I'm gonna head back over there and try to talk to her," Peter continued. "Obviously the case is weighing on her more than we realized."

"I'll come with you."

"No, you don't have to. Stay here."

Kate gave him her fiercest glare.

"I'm coming with you," she insisted.

"Fine," he sighed. "Let's go."

* * *

Kate agreed to stay in the car while Peter ran up and told Megan they were demanding she come with them. He argued she'd be more likely to come if she knew Kate was waiting downstairs, said he'd text if he needed back up. After about ten minutes, though, Kate started to get nervous. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a body fall and hit the pavement about twenty yards away from her.

She dialed 911 as she threw off her heels and ran up the stairs. The operator told her not to enter the building in case there was still a threat, but nothing would have stopped her at that point. When she got to the office, she suddenly realized she didn't even have a weapon to defend herself. Several of the glass windows to Megan's office were completely smashed, and the wreckage signaled a significant struggle had taken place. She felt herself slipping from crisis to panic mode when she didn't immediately see or hear anyone.

"Megan!" she yelled hoarsely, her voice threatening to break.

"Here!" Megan shouted from the balcony. "Help me! Please!"

Kate rushed out into the night air and saw Megan cradling Peter. A pool of blood surrounded them and continued to spread across the marble floor.

"Oh my god," she choked as she rushed to her side. "Are you…what…"

"I'm fine!" Megan shouted, trying to keep her wits about her even as her entire body shook. "It's Peter."

Kate saw the hook sticking out from his side and immediately removed her jacket.

"We have to stop the bleeding."

"It's no…." Peter mumbled, losing consciousness. "Please…I'm…"

"Don't, Peter," Megan cried. "Don't you dare."

"We have to get him inside," Kate ordered.

"No. He'll lose more blood if we move him."

"But we won't be able to see if we stay…"

"Kate, please!" Megan screamed at her. "Trust me for once, okay? Run inside and get me antiseptic and a stitching needle while I keep this compressed."

Kate immediately went for the materials, fearing with near certainty Peter would be dead by the time she returned. Fortunately, the paramedics and SWAT team rushed in seconds later. Peter had passed out at that point, and they used the portable defibrillator to revive him twice before they were able to get him on a stretcher and into an ambulance. The cops had all kinds of questions for Megan, but she refused to stay put for them as she continued to grow more frantic.

"She's clearly in shock," Kate stepped between them. "Let me take her to the hospital and you can ask your questions there."

"He has to be okay," Megan continued to shake. "We have to go…"

"Yes, come," Kate grabbed Megan's hand and squeezed before leading her down to the car and heading towards Philadelphia General.


	4. Chapter 4

Three hours later, they were still waiting to hear the results of Peter's surgery. Megan rocked back and forth in the chair next to Kate. The blonde kept an arm around her, gently rubbing her back, trying to soothe the woman, whose minor cuts and bruises had been treated by nurses right there in the lobby while the cops loomed over them. Finally, Bud and Sam got there and told the rest of the team to back off for the night.

"Hey," Bud lifted Megan's chin as he squatted on the floor in front of her. "You did everything you could, both of you. He's gonna be okay."

Megan sniffled, unable to speak.

"And Polley's gone, for good," Sam added. "I knew you were tough, Megan, but damn. You are one badass superwoman, you know that?"

Kate smirked. She felt Megan's heartbeat start to settle down, then spike back up again as the doors to the operating room opened.

"He's still critical," the young doctor whose name none of them could remember told them. "We're going to keep giving him transfusions throughout the night, hope his blood count returns to normal by morning. Good news is, there's no brain damage, so he's got a fighting chance."

"Thanks," Kate told him before he left the group to themselves again.

"Megan," Bud spoke softly. "Why don't you let Kate take you home so you can…"

"No," she finally spoke. "I'm staying."

"Megan, please," Kate whispered, still holding onto her so long as the other woman would allow it. "I'll stay with you, okay?"

"I can't," Megan continued to groan. "Peter came back for me…if he hadn't…"

"If he hadn't, you'd be dead and we'd have another tragedy on our hands," Bud told her straight up. "You can thank him when he regains consciousness. But right now, it doesn't do any good to stay here and lose what little energy you have left."

"Who knows," Sam chimed in. "You might need it tomorrow. These doctors are surely gonna need someone to check up on them, make sure they're doing everything right." She winked at Kate, who smiled back at her, very impressed with Sam's ability to speak Megan.

The redhead finally sat up and looked at Kate, whose heart continued to break as she stared back into the dulled green eyes, filled with so much grief and exhaustion.

"Come," Kate whispered again, brushing some of Megan's hair behind her ear. "Let me take care of you this time."

Megan's eyes welled up again as she slowly nodded. Bud and Sam gave them a ride back to Kate's car, and then the Chief drove them home.

* * *

After checking with Todd to make sure Lacey was safe and getting the police to make sure her apartment was clear, Kate used Megan's keys to let them in. Megan dropped her bag on the floor next to the door, completely missing the end table. Kate picked it up and put it in its proper place before following her into the bedroom. She wanted to do anything and everything Megan needed, but caretaking didn't come quite as naturally to her, so she watched and waited as the redhead stood in the center of the room for a few minutes, appearing lost.

"Shower?" Kate offered hesitantly.

Dr. Hunt nodded before heading into the restroom and closing the door. Kate sat on the bed and waited for her to return.

Megan let the hot water rush over her body as she leaned against the wall and shut her eyes. She felt like she was in a trance, or a dream… a nightmare. So much had happened so quickly, she hadn't even begun to process it, beginning with the initial rush of fear as she realized Polley had found her. She really hadn't been sure she'd make it out alive. She told Polley her friends would come, but truthfully, she didn't know if they would. She had pushed them all away, been selfish, insensitive to their needs one too many times for them to care, or so she thought. But Peter had still come, and Kate…

She tried to stop thinking, tried to shut her brain down even for just a little while. It took a great deal of effort to numb herself. The truth of the matter was, as impervious as she often seemed to normal human emotions, she was typically running over with them. They were one of her greatest strengths— allowing her to connect so fully to her cases—but they were also a weakness, and right now they were the biggest threat to the little sanity she had left.

She shut the water off and wrapped herself in a towel before stepping out into the bedroom, where she had forgotten Kate was waiting.

"Oh…"

"Sorry," Kate apologized. "I'll give you some privacy."

"It's okay," Megan assured as she moved towards her dresser, removing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. She continued to the far corner of the room, near the other side of the bed, where Kate heard her drop her towel as she averted her eyes. She took a deep breath while Megan finished dressing and finally looked up when she saw her tiny feet with their neatly polished toenails standing in front of her. Megan sat next to her on the bed, and the silence continued.

"You want to tell me what happened?" Kate finally whispered.

Megan didn't speak, didn't move, except for a slight tremor in her hands. Kate glanced up at her face to see the woman clearly trying her best not to break, and slowly failing. She moved some of her wet, red locks behind her ear again and shivered when she saw the giant bruise on Megan's cheekbone and the cut across her eyebrow.

"I should get something to cover…" Kate started to get up, but was stopped as Megan's hand finally grabbed hers. She froze for a moment, feeling the intensity of the grip, her trembling fingers sending little shocks of trauma-laden energy through them. Megan finally turned to Kate, and the blonde brought her blue eyes to meet Megan's just as she threw her arms around her and began to sob. Kate returned the embrace, holding her tightly, running her fingers through her hair and over her back, gently rocking her as she allowed the smaller woman to come undone.

"It's okay," Kate whispered. "I've got you. It's okay."

She wiped a few tears away from her own eyes as she continued to hold her. Megan let her entire weight rest against Kate's body as she let it all out. Eventually, her sobs ceased to a softer, shallower, breathy cry, before stopping altogether. As she began to sniffle, Kate reached for a tissue on the night stand and handed it to her, and Megan finally let go with one hand so she could wipe her nose.

"I'm…" she tried speaking. "I'm… sorry, I…"

"Don't apologize," Kate told her. "Please. You have every right. I can't even imagine what must have…"

Megan shook her head and threw the tissue to the ground before wrapping both arms around Kate again. The blonde squeezed her back, then adjusted her body to lie against the pillows, bringing Megan with her. Megan lay curled against her side, still trying to catch her breath.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Kate whispered. "I'll stay as long as you want. Tonight. Tomorrow even. And the next…"

"You don't have to do that," Megan whispered back.

"And you didn't have to be there for me, but you were," Kate reminded.

Megan slowly sat up next to the blonde, keeping her legs firmly pressed against her, needing to stay connected. She took a few more deep breaths before she tried to relate what happened.

"The phone rang…I thought it was you for some reason, but it was him. Next thing I knew, I saw him, moving in the shadows in the lobby. I ran to the door, locked it, but he…. he threw a chair through the window….threw me across…the desk…"

Kate rubbed her leg as she took another deep breath, pacing herself.

"When I woke up, I was tied to the chair. He said…said he wanted to make it…slow… take his time with…"

"He didn't…" Kate squeezed Megan's knee, fearing he had sexually assaulted her.

"He didn't get that far," she continued, reading Kate's mind. "But I think he might have if Peter hadn't come when he did. He sort of… threatened…"

"That can be just as traumatic," Kate tried to help her process it. She knew all too well.

"Anyway, he had my mouth taped and was ready to do something when the elevator rang. Peter saw me, pulled out his gun, and Polley jumped him. I tried to untie myself as fast as I could. I grabbed the gun and fired, and he went over the ledge. But by the time I got to them…Peter…"

She started shaking again as she remembered Peter's injuries. Kate took Megan's hands in her own and held them as Megan laid her head against her shoulder.

"That's…you are so unbelievably brave, Megan. I don't know if I would have been that brave."

"Of course you would have," Megan whispered, a little of her usual harshness seeping back in, which couldn't help but make Kate smile. She shook her head.

"I wish I had come up sooner. Fucking bastard."

"Thank God you didn't," Megan said firmly. "Peter could barely take him. I don't think you would have been able to."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Kate scoffed, though she knew it was probably true.

"No, seriously," Megan raised her voice a little more. "What if you _had_ come up instead of Peter? I don't know what would have happened if…"

"Let's not think about the 'what ifs'. You're safe, I'm safe, Peter's going to be okay. It's okay," she whispered again, gently tracing her fingers up and down Megan's arm.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through this," Kate continued. "I'm… so sorry I didn't trust you."

"You did what you had to," Megan assured. "The evidence made it look like Polley wasn't our guy, but I had poured everything into that case. I knew it— knew him—through and through. I knew he was the one, even without the DNA."

"Still, I…"

"Kate, you don't have to apologize," Megan insisted. "You're here now. I can't even begin to tell you how much that means."

"Of course," Kate breathed_. I think I have an idea, _she thought.

They continued to lie together, Megan latched on to Kate, Kate soothing her until their breathing aligned, lulling them towards slumber until they couldn't fathom moving.

"Want something else to sleep in?" Megan half-consciously offered.

"No. S'okay," Kate mumbled. "Should I to move to…"

"No," Megan whispered. "I mean…if you don't…"

"No, no. I don't mind," Kate was quick to respond.

"Okay," Megan sighed nonchalantly as Kate felt her own heart do flip flops in her chest. Though this was not the time to be thinking about anything other than comforting her friend, she couldn't help but finally face everything she'd been feeling lately. She had no idea what to do with those feelings now, so she tried her best to shut them out, which was complicated considering she was pretty sure she was falling for the woman who lay with her head on her chest, whose tiny snores signaled she was asleep. Kate shut her eyes and prayed to whatever higher power would listen that somehow, some way, those feelings would be gone when she woke up.


	5. Chapter 5

During the night, Megan continued to shift and shake. Each time she moved, moaning ever so slightly from nightmares or restlessness, Kate held her tighter and rubbed her back until she settled down. By morning, Megan lay on her left side while Kate spooned her from behind. As she woke up, she released her grip little by little, afraid the redhead might still reject the move. After a few seconds of not having full contact, however, Megan turned towards Kate and draped her arm across her waist. Kate held her breath and watched as Megan's eyes slowly opened.

"Morning," Dr. Hunt garbled hazily.

"Morning," Kate replied, trying to ignore the hand resting on her stomach. "How'd you sleep?"

"Alright," Megan groaned. "Once the dreams stopped."

Kate swallowed.

"And physically? Are you sore?"

"A little," she winced as she stretched, opening her eyes more fully. Suddenly, her facial expression changed and her nose crinkled as she abruptly removed her hand from Kate's abdomen and touched a spot on her button down shirt, near the collar. Kate froze.

"You've got blood on you," Megan noted. "My head…I must have…"

Kate tried not to breathe a visible sigh of relief. Blood she could handle.

"Let me see," she said as she gently took Megan's chin in her hand and turned her head. A bit of dried blood trailed down the side of her face. "I knew we should have covered this. Where's your…"

"Bathroom. Medicine cabinet."

Kate nodded and laid Megan's head back on the pillow before venturing to get the Band-aids and anti-bacterial ointment.

When she returned, Megan was sitting up. Kate tried not to smirk at how adorably small the woman looked in the oversized bed. The knots in her stomach returned as she realized her prayers for her feelings to dissipate had not been answered. She tried to focus on the task at hand.

Megan cringed slightly as Kate wiped away the blood and dabbed the spot with the ointment.

"Is this how it's going to be?" Megan whispered.

Kate cleared her throat. "What…what do you mean?"

"Is one of us always going to be patching the other one up?"

Kate let her breath out slowly and rolled her eyes.

"That's the life of fighting crime I suppose," Kate mused.

"We really are a couple of badasses, aren't we?" Megan joked. Kate laughed a little, thrilled the redhead was in better spirits today.

"Well," Megan continued. "At least we have each other."

Kate's cheeks tingled. She hoped her blush was not as noticeable as it felt. As she put the Band-aid on, she finally allowed herself to make eye contact with Megan, realizing then how close their faces were. Megan smiled at her, more with those glowing green eyes than her lips. Kate's chest rose and fell as she smiled back. She smoothed Megan's cheek a little as she left the adhesive over the wound. Megan's lips parted and she looked like she was about to speak when her phone buzzed, and the moment was gone just as quickly as it had crept up on them.

"It's Lacey," Megan told Kate as she checked the message. "She'll be here in less than ten minutes. I told her she could come home this morning."

"I'm sure she wanted to come last night."

"She did, but…I needed to just…"

"I get it."

Megan smiled at the blonde again.

"So," Kate interrupted this time. "I should probably leave before she gets here."

"Why's that?" Megan asked. "There's no rush."

"Really? You don't think…"

"What?" Megan appeared genuinely confused. Kate looked at her skeptically, but also a little embarrassed.

"I…nothing. You're right. I just…"

"I think you need coffee," Megan smirked at her. "It was a long night, for both of us."

Kate nodded in agreement before following Megan into the kitchen.

As the coffee brewed, the door flew open. Lacey dropped her bags on the floor and ran to her mother, throwing her arms around her. Megan squeezed back and tried not to let anymore tears fall from her eyes, but she couldn't stop them.

"I love you, mom," Lacey mumbled into her chest.

"I love you too, baby," Megan whispered, kissing the top of her head. Kate sat on a stool at the bar and watched the interaction with so much adoration for both of them. She was lost in the sweet moment until she realized Lacey was looking at her with a scowl on her face.

"How could you leave her at the office alone!" Lacey cried, accusingly. Kate's mouth hung open for a moment, trying to find the words. She hadn't realized how stupid that move had been, hadn't wanted to think about everything she could have or should have done differently. Instead, she'd thrown herself into taking care of Megan now.

"I…" she tried to speak, but Megan cut her off.

"Lacey, this is no one's fault," Megan scolded. "I refused to go with them. Apologize."

"But she should have known he wasn't going to Canada!" the little girl continued to argue. "Of course he…"

"Lacey!" Megan gritted her teeth, then softened. "Honey, I know this has been hard for you too, but please. Kate stayed with me all night last night. She made sure I was okay."

"That was nice of her," a voice joined them from the doorframe. The three women jumped before realizing it was Todd.

"Jesus," Megan sighed.

"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure Lacey got up here okay, see if you needed anything."

"We're good," Megan nodded. "Thanks."

"Alright, then. I'm off. Lacey, pick you up on Monday."

"I should go too," Kate chimed in. "Leave you two to talk."

"Kate…" Megan didn't really know what to say. Thank you didn't seem like nearly enough.

"If you need a few days before coming back to work, let me know," Kate offered. "I'll have everything cleaned up and fixed by Wednesday at the latest."

"Thanks," Megan smiled. Kate smiled back, then turned to Lacey.

"Sorry I yelled at you," Lacey offered before Kate could say anything.

"It's okay."

"No really," Lacey continued. "I know you care about my mom. You're a really good friend."

Kate nodded. _Friend_, she thought. That word didn't seem like enough anymore either.

She bid them both goodbye and followed Todd out of the apartment.

On the way to their cars, Todd tried to make small talk, which Kate could not have been less in the mood for.

"Seeing anyone new?"

"It's really not your place to ask that," Kate bit back.

"Okay, okay," he backed off a little. "Well, thanks for being there for Megan. She doesn't have a lot of friends, I'm sure you've realized.

_There's that word again_. Kate was over it.

"Goodbye, Todd," she grimaced before getting in her car and driving off as fast as she could.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Megan went to the hospital to check on Peter, with Lacey in tow.

"Can we see him?" Lacey asked the nurse. Megan tried to stop her from being so precocious, but she could only do so much. _Like mother like daughter_, she thought.

They were led into the ICU, where Peter lay asleep, bandaged up, and still hooked to a respirator. The doctor was just finishing his dictation.

"How is he?" Megan inquired, flashing her badge to ensure a response.

"He's going to be fine," the doctor gave them the good news. "But it'll be a while before he's able to return to work. He's lucky the paramedics came when they did. A few more minutes and he would have…"

"I know," Megan interrupted, trying to protect Lacey from the gruesome details. "I was there."

"He was lucky for that too," the doc continued.

Megan nodded as he left them to stay with Peter through the visiting hour. She gently took his hand in hers and squeezed a little, and soon his eyes fluttered open.

"Megan…" he groaned.

"Shhh," she insisted. "You don't have to say anything."

"But…are you…"

"I'm fine. Just a little banged up on my face and shoulder, but I'm good," she smiled, taking in the full extent of his incapacities, trying not to get choked up.

"Hi Peter," Lacey whispered sweetly from the other side of the bed.

"Hi Lace…" he smiled weakly.

"Couldn't keep her away," Megan smirked.

He turned back to her then, his eyes full of gratitude.

"Megan….thank you…"

"No, thank you," she cut him off. "Kate's the one who called 911, I just tried to stop the bleeding. But you…you saved my life."

"It was mutual," Peter insisted.

"Yeah, it was," she laughed. "Still, I didn't know if you'd come back. You said…"

"I know what I said. I was angry."

"You had every right to be," she nodded, wiping away a tear.

"I'll always be there for you," he assured her. "Always have your back."

"Same here," Megan smiled. "Always."

They stayed just a few more minutes before the nurses came by and told them they needed to let Peter rest, which Megan refused to argue with. Back at home, she and Lacey spent the rest of the weekend watching movies. When her daughter turned it to _Bring It On_, Megan grabbed her phone off the coffee table and texted Kate.

_I'M WATCHING YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE. _She wrote.

A few seconds later, the phone buzzed back.

_Sofie's Choice?_

_NOPE. BRING IT ON._

_Ha. _Kate replied._ Suffering through it a second time?_

_FOURTH._

_You're a good sport._

_I TRY._

_Except you really do need to cool it with the caps._

It took Megan a little longer to respond that time. Finally, Kate's phone beeped.

_Only for you._ It read.

Kate did a little dance in her apartment, thankful no one was watching.


	6. Chapter 6

Megan took Kate up on the offer to return to work on Wednesday, after the repairs had been made to the office. She was afraid seeing the damage again would stir up all the fear and anger she was trying to heal from. When she did walk in to work that morning, she was greeted by a huge hug from Ethan.

"I'm fine," Megan assured, laughing as he squeezed her. "But I won't be if you crush all the air out of my lungs!"

"Sorry," he let go, turning beet red and heading back to the lab.

"The boy's been a hot mess," Curtis shook his head before flashing a smile at Megan. "Good to have you back."

"Thanks, boss," she grinned.

As she stepped into her office, she noted everything had been put back in its place. It was almost eerie, but a much better alternative than having to see the shattered glass and duct tape remnants lying all over the floor. She put her red Birkin bag on the desk and sat down, crossing her arms across the table top and taking a deep breath, just as Kate tapped on the doorframe. She looked up at her and tried not to beam too eagerly.

"Everything look okay in here?" Kate asked.

Megan nodded.

"Perfect."

"It better be. I shelled out enough money to get these panels replaced in under forty-eight hours."

"I appreciate it," Megan swallowed.

Kate smirked back.

"I've got a meeting to run to. Lunch?"

"You got it," Megan agreed cheerfully.

Kate was only a few steps away from Megan's office when she saw Aiden come rushing off the elevator, a full bouquet of red roses in hand. He darted straight in to see her, dropping the flowers on the desk, scooping her up out of her chair and wrapping himself around her before planting an epic kiss on her lips.

Kate felt a little dizzy. She stopped for a moment, putting a hand against the wall, pretending to adjust one of her heels as she listened.

"I can't believe you didn't call me," Aiden tried not to shout. "I had to hear you were almost killed on the news."

"Sorry, it's been…"

"Just promise me you're alright?"

"I'm alright! Really. Everyone else is going crazy."

"Sure they are. You know why? Because they love you," he insisted before looking deeply into her eyes. Megan thought he was about to tell her he loved her too. She swallowed hard, bracing herself, but instead he just gave her another generous kiss.

Kate couldn't handle eavesdropping anymore. She pulled herself together and quickly headed down the hall for her meeting.

"Aiden, I'm thankful for the flowers, and I'm happy to see you, but I just got back to work and I really think I should…"

"I don't think Kate's gonna yell at you for taking five minutes to kiss me after a month of not seeing each other."

"I…" Megan continued to inch away from him. She knew she should be much more excited to see him than she was, but she just didn't feel like being all lovey-dovey at the moment, certainly not at work.

"Okay, I get it," he backed up, but still kept a hold of her hand. "How about tonight? We can catch up back at my place. I think you'll be much more comfortable there."

"Actually," Megan felt herself beginning to lie. She hated to, but couldn't stop herself. "I have to stay pretty late tonight. It's not easy right now, with Peter out of commission and…"

"So when's good for you?"

Megan paused for a moment, thinking.

"I'll call you."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm being blown off?"

"You're not, Aiden! Please. I promise I'll call when I'm free." She glared at him, but felt bad, so she gave him one last kiss before sending him on his way.

At eight o'clock she realized she hadn't completely lied. She did end up working right through lunch and staying late, working on the autopsy of a young man who she could now conclusively say died of a drug overdose. As she finished her report in her office, she wondered why she really hadn't been thrilled to see Aiden. He was such a great guy, and just a few weeks ago she was completely into him. He was sexier than any man she'd ever dated, had a steady job, and obviously cared about her a great deal, maybe even loved her. She had been afraid to open up at first, but then she went for it. Still, they hadn't slept together yet. They'd come close several times, but something always interrupted them. Now she was glad she hadn't taken that step, because for some reason she just wasn't feeling it anymore. The big question was, why_?_ Why would she push away the one person she should be taking comfort in after going through such a traumatic experience?

Then it hit her. She'd already taken comfort in someone, already happily let that position be filled by someone else. Someone who had at times infuriated her, and at other times seemed to know exactly what to say, or not say. Someone who liked curling up on the couch and watching bad movies. Someone who smelled like lavender and honey. Someone who was probably still working late too, just down the hall.

Against all of her better judgment, Megan left her office and went to see if Kate was still there. She was.

"Hey," Megan spoke softly, not wanting to startle the blonde, who seemed completely consumed by whatever she was reading.

"Oh. Hey," Kate looked up. "Why are you still here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Well, I have nothing better to do than cut some serious fat from the budget if we're going to make it through this quarter. You, on the other hand, have a boyfriend who I'm sure is waiting for you to come home tonight by the looks of those roses."

Megan swallowed.

"You saw…"

"Yes. They're beautiful," Kate faked her best smile.

"Yeah," Megan agreed, but only half-heartedly. "They're nice, but I really prefer orchids."

Kate shook her head.

"There's no pleasing you, is there?"

"There is," Megan insisted. "Just have to know what I like."

"I'm surprised he doesn't know by now," Kate shot back.

Megan shrugged.

"Anyway, I just finished my last report on the Stein case. Do you think you could pull yourself away from the budget for some dinner?"

Kate looked at her critically.

"What about Aiden?"

"Eh," Megan mused, but left it at that.

Kate arched an eyebrow. She wanted to say no, she really did. _This way leads to madness_, she thought.

"Sure," she replied. As she stood, Megan took in the black sleeveless dress Kate wore, marveled at how it hugged every curve perfectly, and the way the straps cut across her tan shoulder blades as she turned around for her coat. The blonde grabbed her purse and slowly sauntered from behind her desk. Megan tried to rationalize the extra swing in Kate's step. _She's just excited to get away from her work_, she lied to herself. When Kate stopped a few inches away from her and smiled, she quickly snapped out of the blatant ogling.

"Let's go," the blonde said before brushing by her. Megan grinned and followed her to the elevator.


	7. Chapter 7

The two women opted for a table in the back corner of Joe's Oyster Shack, where they decided to splurge on a dozen raw ones, followed by onion rings and two baskets full of fried clams. Megan was working on her second beer, while Kate finished off her first glass of pinot grigio.

"It was one date," Kate scoffed, answering Megan's question about whether or not she would see Charlie again if he came back to town. "And you know what, I'm not even sure it can be called that, because again, nothing happened."

"Well there's a new definition of dating," Megan mused. "Plenty of people go on dates without anything 'happening.'"

"Do you speak from experience?" Kate smirked as she sipped.

"Ha! Well…if you must know, I haven't done anything…much of anything…with Aiden, and we've been dating for close to two months."

Kate powered through her urge to spit out her wine.

"I find that hard to believe. That kiss today didn't look like 'nothing.'"

"Sure, we've kissed. But we've never…you know." Megan was blushing hard now.

Despite her displeasure with the subject matter, Kate enjoyed making Megan squirm.

"Do you want to?" Kate asked boldly.

"I…" Megan knew the answer was no, and yet she was afraid to verbalize it, knowing it meant the end of her relationship and possibly the end of her heterosexuality. "I'm not really sure," she gave her instead.

"Huh," Kate smirked.

"Change of subject," Megan insisted. "How's your brother? Is he planning a visit anytime soon?"

"I don't think so," Kate sighed. "He wanted to come when I was sick, but all the flights were cancelled. Now he's busy with work."

"What does he do again?"

"He's a production assistant in L.A."

"Wow," she smiled. "That's exciting. Your parents must be proud."

"Not exactly," Kate's smile faltered as she prodded another clam with her fork.

"Why not? I mean, a P.A.'s not exactly a director, but he could…"

"He's gay."

Megan tried not to drop her fork.

"Oh. Really? Why didn't you ever mention it?"

"Why would I?"

"I don't know. I mean….I guess it's not…"

"Vital information? No. But to my parents it's the only thing that matters."

"I see," Megan swallowed. "So they're…"

"Conservative, Bible-loving, Romney-voting Republicans. Yes."

"Geez," Megan sighed. "That's got to be tough for him."

"It was. For both of us. Which is why we don't talk to them anymore."

"At all?"

"They kicked him out when he was seventeen. I was up here already, working as an M.E., so I let him stay with me for a few months till he finished high school. When he was ready, I gave him a loan and sent him off to L.A. He moved in with some friends, and he's been happy and successful ever since."

"Kate, I had no idea."

"I try not to get into my personal life at work."

"I get it," Megan nodded. "I'm happy you told me though."

"Yeah, well. I think it's safe to say we've gone beyond the boundaries of the traditional boss-employee relationship."

Megan paused before taking a swig of her beer.

"How does that make you feel?" Megan asked, also feeling bold.

Kate shifted.

"It's… not something I've done before, but…"

Before she could say anything else, Megan turned whiter than the table cloth as Aiden strolled up to them with his hands in his pockets.

"So," he spoke softly. "You're too busy for a date with me, but here you are. With Kate."

"Aiden…"

"You can spare me the details. Just so you know, the person whose plans you never break is the relationship you're in. Glad you two are happy together."

Everything seemed to be in slow motion as he walked towards the door. Megan looked back at Kate, who was so red she thought she might explode, though she didn't seem angry.

"I…can you just…excuse…"

"I'll be here," Kate said. "Go."

Megan swung the door open and met up with Aiden in the parking lot.

"Aiden, wait!"

The scruffy-faced Aussie turned around sharply.

"What?" he said, still not yelling, seeming more resigned than anything else.

"Can we talk?"

"I'll give you two minutes," he told her.

"Just…look, I don't know what to tell you. You're wonderful, Aiden. You're everything a girl should want."

"I don't think it matters what you 'should' want," he interrupted her. "There's no 'should.' Either you do, or you don't."

"I really liked you. A lot," Megan teared up. _Damnit_, she thought. _Why am I so fucking emotional?_

"I think your mother liked me more. That's how this whole thing started in the first place, didn't it?" Aiden alluded back to her mother finding him online, setting them up. It really had been strange from the beginning, but they'd made it work, at least for a little while.

"I'm sorry," Megan sniffed. "You've been so good to me, so patient. You deserve better."

"Don't tell me what I deserve," he finally raised his voice. "Just be honest. That's all I ask."

Megan nodded as she wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I…I don't think it's going to work."

"I don't think so either," he replied, sadly. He took a few steps towards her. She looked up at him, green eyes glistening with tears. He put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead before slowly pulling away.

"Take care of yourself," he whispered before getting in his car and driving off.

Megan shook out her whole body and tried to do damage control to her mascara-streaked face before going back inside. She was happy to see Kate still sitting there, thankful she hadn't run while she had the chance.

"You alright?" Kate asked, half way through her second glass of pinot. Megan couldn't blame her.

"Yeah. I'll be fine," she whispered. "That seems to be my go to line lately, doesn't it? Get accosted by a serial killer? 'I'm fine.' Break up with my boyfriend? 'I'm fine.' Just fine…."

"Hey," Kate grabbed her hand across the table, not caring about what it meant or didn't mean. "You don't have to give me a line, Megan. You can tell me how you really feel."

"Honestly," Megan sighed, wiping away her last tear. "I'm a little confused."

"What's confusing you?" Kate swallowed.

"Just…" she wanted to be honest, but she didn't want to lose one of the only friends she had, the _best_ friend she had. "I don't know, everything. Can't we just go home and watch _Bring It On_ for the fiftieth time?"

Kate laughed at first, realizing Megan wanted to do something mindless and forget about her problems, but then stopped laughing when she realized she wanted to go home _with her_, and perhaps that was what was really so confusing. _Makes two of us_, she thought.

"Are you being serious?" she finally asked.

"Yeah," Megan laughed. "Want to?"

Kate felt like she was entering very dangerous territory. Still, there was no way she was going to say no when Megan was clearly in need of company. _God damnit._

"Of course," Kate smiled. "Let's just get the check."

The two split the bill and hopped in their cars, and Kate followed Megan back to her place.


	8. Chapter 8

"Sorry about the mess," Megan apologized as she picked up some loose papers, notebooks and a pair of dirty socks off the floor. "Lacey went to Todd's again at the last minute. He keeps getting all these free concert tickets from one of his clients. It's a school night, but he promised not to keep her out too late."

"Who are they seeing tonight?" Kate asked, taking her spot on the couch.

"Nicki Minaj and Rhianna," Megan responded unenthusiastically.

"Sounds like fun," Kate smirked.

"I'm not so sure. There's a whole lot of 'bitch' and 'ho' being thrown around in those lyrics for two women who are supposed to be empowering young girls."

Kate rolled her eyes.

"I'm not a mother. I guess I tend to overlook some things."

Megan shrugged, finally sitting down next to her.

"To each their own," she huffed. "There's just too much out there these days. I can't keep her away from all of it."

"You do your best," Kate acknowledged. "Which if you ask me, is pretty fantastic. Lacey's great."

"Thanks," Megan blushed, flipping on the TV.

"Are we really going to watch _Bring It On_?" Kate smirked.

"God, I hope not." Megan laughed.

Instead, they found _Bridesmaids_ on HBO. Both of them had seen it, but they still laughed just as hard as the first time. Nevertheless, towards the end, Megan was starting to nod off. At some point, without even thinking about it, she slid closer to Kate, bringing her feet up on the couch and leaning on her a little. Eventually, she slipped into the crook of Kate's arm and began softly snoring again.

Kate hadn't really noticed their position at first. It felt so natural, and she had gotten so used to comforting Megan physically, holding her, touching her in some way. But after tonight, it was all too overwhelming. She shifted a little, trying to see if she could slide out from under the redhead, when Megan shifted back, wrapping her arm across Kate's waist and nuzzling her head further against her neck. Kate looked up at the ceiling for ten seconds, holding her breath, and then gently pushed Megan off of her.

"Megan," she whispered firmly.

"What?" Megan groggily replied.

"I can't do this."

"Do what?" Megan finally opened her eyes.

"Sleep here," Kate continued. "Again."

"Um, okay," Megan swallowed. "I don't get it."

"Come on," Kate rolled her eyes. "How do you not get it?"

"Sorry, I thought we were…"

"What?"

"Friends," Megan lied for the third time that day. "Good friends."

Kate ran her fingers through her blonde locks, shifting all over the place, trying to figure out what to say.

"I don't usually cuddle with my friends," she spoke very softly.

"Oh," Megan swallowed, fully awake now. "I get it."

"Do you?" Kate had to ask.

"No," Megan laughed a little, incredulously. "I guess I don't."

"The other night you were upset. I stayed, to comfort you. But now…"

"I'm still upset," Megan tried to insist.

Kate gave her a look that meant she wasn't buying it.

"This is different."

"How?" Megan continued to argue.

_This woman_, Kate grew more frustrated.

"Because," the blonde argued back. "You're upset because you broke up with your boyfriend. Your boyfriend who saw us out together when you were supposed to be with him."

"That wasn't the only reason. We were never meant to…"

"Megan, please," Kate tried not to shout, but she was starting to feel like maybe she'd imagined it all, and if she had, this was going to be incredibly painful. She needed Megan to be serious.

"So what are you trying to say?" Megan tried not to get defensive, but she knew she sounded angry. "You don't want to sleep over? Fine."

"I didn't…I just…"

"Because you can leave whenever you…"

"Megan, stop," Kate put a hand on her knee. She knew it wasn't wise, but couldn't help it.

"Oh, that's okay? You can touch me there?" Megan put a hand on top of Kate's hand, watching as the blonde's face turned red.

"Please tell me you get it." Kate's breathing got a little harder and she closed her eyes. Megan swallowed.

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"Tell me what this means," Kate laced her fingers with Megan's, praying for a miracle.

Miraculously, Megan squeezed her hand, keeping it on her leg.

"I'm…not sure, exactly," Megan sighed, her voice shaking a little.

"Do you…have feelings for me, or…" Kate opened her eyes slowly and shook her head. She felt like she was sixteen again, palms sweating, a huge frog in her throat.

Megan slowly nodded yes, heart pounding furiously.

"I think so," she swallowed, then took a deeper breath. "Do you?"

Kate couldn't believe it. They were actually, finally talking about it, admitting what she had wondered for so long, way before the Marburg virus had struck, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly…

"Kate?" Megan asked again when she didn't get an immediate response.

"Yes," Kate finally whispered.

"Okay," Megan sighed loudly, rubbing the back of Kate's hand with her thumb. "So then…why are we not allowed to…"

"Because I didn't know you felt this way," Kate continued to whisper. "And because I'm your boss. And because I've done some things… to you, in the past… that were not great."

"Right," Megan nodded, assuming she meant Todd. "And did any of those things keep me from getting closer to you? Having lunch with you, laughing with you, doing everything in my power to save you when you were dying?"

"No," Kate whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Because as far as I'm concerned, the past is in the past," Megan assured her, her own voice threatening to break. "And this…this I've never, ever felt before. With anyone."

Kate closed her eyes again. Megan reached out and hugged her, bringing her to her chest. Kate slowly wrapped her arms around the redhead, bringing her face to her hair, nuzzling her. Megan leaned back against the other arm of the couch, bringing Kate along until she lay on top of her.

"Okay," Kate finally replied breathing heavily. "So then…"

"So," Megan sighed. "Let's just…keep doing what we're doing."

"Sleeping together?" Kate mused.

"Cuddling at least," Megan teased.

"Ah, that's right," Kate teased back. "I forgot you don't usually sleep with people until…how many dates does it take, exactly?"

"Does this count as a date?" Megan joked, though she seriously wanted to know.

Kate smirked against her neck. "Well nothing happened, so under the new definition, yes. I think this counts."

Megan laughed some more as Kate buried her face deeper into her neck and pulled her tighter, wrapping one of her legs around her as well, breathing against her skin. Megan shivered.

"I hate to break it to you," Kate continued to whisper. "But I tend to do more with my dates than just sleep." She traced her fingers up and down one of Megan's arms, through her leopard print sweater. Megan shut her eyes again and shifted, pulling Kate even closer.

"I understand perfectly," she whispered flirtatiously, then yawned. "But…I think I really am falling asleep. So as much as I want to keep doing…this…maybe tomorrow, after work, we can try to figure things out a little more."

"Sounds good," Kate sighed, perfectly happy to wait, considering she had no idea how this was actually going to work.

The two took great pains to unravel from each other, each pretending not to notice every inch of skin that touched as Kate's dress had risen up and they tried to untangle their limbs. Without looking into each other's eyes for more than a second, they eventually made it off the couch. Kate gathered her coat and bag and met Megan at the door, where they finally braved looking at each other. Megan leaned against the frame and smiled, almost shyly.

"I know you like to take things slow," Kate swallowed. "But…do you think it would be asking too much if…"

Megan leaned forward a little. Kate's breath caught, and she closed her eyes, waiting. She felt Megan's fingers on either side of her face, and then very soft lips placed the tiniest kiss on her cheek before letting go. Kate opened her eyes as Megan opened the door.

"See you tomorrow, Dr. Murphy," Megan smirked devilishly, knowing full well she was driving Kate crazy. _Nothing new there_, Kate thought. She licked her lips and glared at Megan before walking out.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning at work, the two barely got to see each other as the new caseload poured in. The body of a man had been pulled from the Delaware River, apparently having fallen or jumped from a bridge. He was so bloated it was hard to get an I.D., but Megan and the team worked on it throughout most of the day until they confirmed it was an investment banker from New York who had been in Philly on business. Still, most of his timeline was unaccounted for, and there seemed to be no turmoil in his personal or professional life. Something wasn't adding up, and Megan was determined to sort out the missing pieces of the puzzle.

She and Ethan continued to analyze fluid samples and cellular damage when Kate entered the lab, wearing her green scrubs and a pair of blue gloves, apparently ready to dive in.

"What can I do?" she asked.

"You can sort through this clump of debris we found attached to him," Megan pointed with her elbow at the mess of river weeds and trash on the table next to her. Kate nodded and began prodding through.

"So…" Megan tried not to let her voice give away how happy she was to finally be speaking to her, even under their present circumstances. "Sleep okay last night?"

"Yes," she whispered quickly, trying to remind Megan that Ethan was also there with them. Though he was across the lab, he was most certainly listening. "You?"

"I've had better nights," Megan admitted. Every time she'd tossed and turned, she had marveled at just how empty her bed felt.

"That's too bad," Kate replied. "Maybe you'll have a better night…soon."

"Friday," Megan whispered, checking over her shoulder to see if Ethan really was paying attention. She couldn't be sure.

"Friday," Kate repeated. "Yes, Fridays are…they tend to be….good nights."

"We'll just have to wait and see," Megan smirked at her.

Kate nodded. A few seconds later, she found something in the debris.

"Look at this," she called Megan over. The redhead stepped behind her, genuinely interested in what the blonde had found, though she paused for half a second at her ear, taking in the scent of her perfume. Kate noticed and leaned back just barely, but enough for Megan to know she was having a hard time too.

"An earring," Megan noted. "Exactly what I suspected. Mr. Knox wasn't just here on business."

They packed everything away for the evening and bagged the new evidence to hand over to Bud and Sam. Sure enough, they were able to trace a number that had phoned a local call girl service to Knox's cell. By eleven p.m., they had a young woman named Christy in custody.

"You wanna tell me why we found your earring floating in the river with a dead guy?" Bud questioned.

"I don't know," she lied.

"Come on, Christy," Sam tried to play good cop. "We know you're putting yourself through school with this call girl service. That part's not illegal, so long as you didn't sleep with him."

"Or kill him," Bud added.

Christy laughed a little, nervously.

"That's the crazy part, huh?" she scoffed. "They can parade us around, talk dirty to us, even grope us, but as soon as we reciprocate and have sex with them, suddenly it crosses the line and we're both guilty. But before then, everyone just pretends its some older guy who was lucky enough to score a date with a young, hot chick. No harm done, right?"

"Yeah, right," Bud rolled his eyes. "You're all so innocent."

The girl was starting to break, Sam could tell. Just then, Megan entered the room.

"Would you excuse us for a moment, Bud?"

"Me? What…" he looked back and forth between Megan and Sam, who appeared to be exchanging some information subconsciously. "Fine. Be back in ten."

After he left, Megan sat down on the side of the table with Christy, while Sam continued to stand across from them.

"Did Mr. Knox try to…push the boundaries of your arrangement?" Megan asked softly, trying to get the girl to understand she wasn't going to judge her based solely on her profession.

"You mean did he rape me?" she laughed again nervously, painfully. "Everyone knows we can't get raped."

"Anyone can be raped," Megan insisted. "Just because someone pays for a date doesn't mean they get carte blanche to do whatever they want."

"No one really believes that," Christy choked a little, sniffling.

"I do," Megan added. "So does Sam."

"That's right," Sam agreed. "If you killed Knox in self defense, we can get you off with that."

Christy continued to stare down into her lap, even as she began to shake. Megan reached out and rubbed her shoulder. At first the girl jumped, but then relaxed.

"I…didn't think anyone would believe me," she cried. "He was so high-profile, so rich. I'd been out with him a couple of times. Stupid me, I actually started to think he really liked me, you know? He said he wanted to take me someplace special after the benefit, so we drove out to the bridge, got out of the car…and then he…he…"

"It's okay," Megan soothed.

"I tried to fight him, but I couldn't stop…he just grabbed my face and pushed me against the railing, but I wouldn't keep still. Finally I started cooperating so I could gain some control, get him up against the edge…and then…I pushed him over…."

"How did you manage that?" Sam had to ask. "Guy had to be twice your size."

Christy shook her head.

"I was so angry, so hurt. I guess I pulled the strength from somewhere inside me, someplace he hadn't broken through yet…"

"I get it," Megan nodded. "Trust me. I do."

Christy let the tears come full force now. Bud returned a few minutes later, and they took her whole statement before releasing her for the evening, assuring her she'd still have to appear in court, but with all likelihood would not be charged.

That night, Megan felt a little more shaken up than she had in a few days. Christy's story brought back some of the feelings of violation she'd felt from the incident with Polley. After tucking Lacey in, she curled up in bed and called Kate.

"She's lucky she had you on her side. And she's right. Call girl, prostitute, they're all the same in most people's eyes. People don't think you can rape a sex worker."

"Or any girl who they think has had too many sexual partners," Megan added, bitterly.

"It's such bullshit," Kate agreed.

"Yeah, well. That's life." Megan wasn't quite as talkative tonight. Kate could tell this was really getting to her.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," Megan admitted. "I think… I'd be a lot better if I had someone here, holding me." She teased, though she meant every word of it.

"I wish I was there," Kate swallowed. "Tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow," Megan sighed. "I forgot, Lacey's going to be here too."

"Oh," Kate responded. "Well, then…"

"Why don't you come for dinner anyway?" Megan insisted. "I mean, you're still my friend, even if there's…stuff… beyond that."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Kate asked. "Won't Lacey be…"

"She adores you," Megan assured, then swallowed. "Almost as much as I do."

Kate was sure Megan could feel her blush through the phone.

"Alright. I'll be there," Kate agreed.

"Better get used to it anyway," Megan added. "She's part of the territory."

"I'm more than fine with that," Kate insisted.

"Just wait till you're stuck watching the entire _Twilight_ series for the third time in a row," Megan quipped. "You might not be so enthusiastic."

"Trust me, I can handle it," Kate laughed.

"Oh my God. You like those movies too, don't you?" Megan gaped. "What are you, twelve?"

"See you tomorrow, Dr. Hunt," Kate continued to laugh, refusing to answer.

"Goodnight, Dr. Murphy."


	10. Chapter 10

After work the next evening, Kate made her way over to Megan's. Lacey answered the door.

"Hi!" the little girl squealed, throwing her arms around the blonde. Kate was relieved she'd forgiven her. "I made sugar-free brownies!"

"That sounds amazing," Kate was impressed, knowing Lacey was trying her best to adapt to her diabetes.

"There's actual dinner, first!" Megan called from the kitchen.

Kate smirked and followed Lacey into the apartment. Once they reached the kitchen, the aroma of tomatoes and basil filled Kate's nostrils.

"Smells delicious," Kate mused, taking in Megan's tight black jeans, green silk top, and the adorable apron tied around her waist, which only had a couple splashes of sauce on it so far. Megan saw her watching and stepped closer, holding a wooden spoon. She lifted it to Kate's lips, offering her a taste. The blonde's eyes went a little wide, wondering what Lacey was thinking as she watched them interact, trying not to give away anything if the girl really had no suspicions. She leaned closer and pressed her lips to the spoon, letting her tongue slide gracefully against it, closing her eyes to savor it fully. She was pretty sure she heard Megan sigh, but again, tried to ignore it.

"What do you think?" Megan finally asked.

"Good. Very good," Kate nodded, licking the rest of the sauce from her lips. Megan's cheeks turned a little pink.

"It's grandma's recipe," Lacey chimed in.

"Thank you, Lacey," Megan laughed. "She's right. I definitely didn't come up with it on my own."

"Still," Kate continued to praise her as she removed her coat, revealing her lace blue top and grey pencil skirt. "It's impressive. Better than anything I can make."

"You don't cook?" Lacey asked.

"Not unless you consider frozen macaroni and cheese in the oven for twenty minutes cooking."

"Better than some people," Megan smirked.

"Yeah, dad can't even do that much," Lacey giggled.

Kate tried not to think of it as a comparison between her and Todd. Truth be told, she already knew there was none to be made.

"It's almost ready," Megan interrupted her thoughts. "Lacey, why don't you set the table?"

The girl went into the other room with all the fixings in hand, leaving the two women alone for the first time since the other night. Megan removed her apron and slowly walked over to where Kate leaned against the counter. She reached out and touched the lace fabric of Kate's blouse, right above her hip. Kate shifted a little, trying not to react, but couldn't help the sharp intake of breathe, making the tiniest sound.

"This is nice," Megan whispered. "I like it."

"Thanks," Kate smiled back, as Megan continued to trace her fingers across her abdomen. "I…like yours as well."

"Thanks," Megan nodded. "I didn't want to get too dressed…"

She stopped as she saw Lacey darting around the corner on her way back into the kitchen.

"All set!" she chirped eagerly.

Megan served them at the table before joining them, and the three settled in to what felt like a very comfortable situation, like something they had done many times before, Kate thought. It was far less awkward than she had worried it might be, despite the desperate urge she felt to steal Megan into the other room even for just a second.

"How was the concert last week?" Kate asked Lacey.

"Ah-mazing!" she grinned. "I really want to get a pink streak in my hair like Nicki Minaj, but my mom won't let me."

"Uh, I think that's reasonable," Kate laughed. "Maybe when you're eighteen."

"Or maybe never," Megan raised her eyebrows.

Kate continued to laugh with Lacey as they finished up their pasta. By the time they had the table cleared of dinner, Lacey brought out the sugar-free brownies, her proud creation. Kate tasted one first, nodding slowly as she chewed the gooey, chocolate square.

"It's really good," Kate lied a little, even though it wasn't terrible.

"Can't even tell it's sugar-free, right?" Lacey smiled, taking a bit of her own.

"Not at all," Megan chewed, clearly suffering through it as well. She glanced over at Kate, giving her a silent thank you. It really did mean the world to her that she was so good with Lacey, and that she was willing to spend time with her too. If this—whatever it was—was going to work, that was certainly key.

After making it through the first and half of the second _Twilight_ films, Lacey finally dozed off on the couch. Megan got her up and into bed before returning to the living room, where Kate sat, trying not to fidget with the edges of her skirt. Megan sat down next to her and attempted not to hold her breath.

"That was fun," Kate smiled.

"You mean it?" Megan asked, hesitantly. "We're not too much for you?"

Kate shook her head.

"You're a lot to handle sometimes, back at the office. But here…" she swallowed. "Everything's…exactly…"

Megan reached out and held Kate's cheek in her hand, smoothing it with her thumb. Kate closed her eyes, scooting a little closer on the couch.

"I want to…so badly…I just…" Megan faltered a little. "I'm afraid Lacey might wake up, and I'm not ready to explain this yet."

Kate opened her eyes and took Megan's hand, holding it in her lap.

"Understood," she smiled, though she couldn't help hiding some of her disappointment. Megan clearly shared her sentiments.

"I wish you could stay," Megan whispered. "Maybe next week?"

"Of course," Kate nodded. "There's no rush."

Megan couldn't begin to tell her how much she appreciated her patience. Aiden had been patient too, but it hadn't meant nearly as much as it did with Kate. Nothing did.

"I guess I should go before we start to pass out, per usual," Kate smirked.

"That's probably for the best."

As they stood, they continued to hold hands. Megan led Kate to the door and then looked around a little, realizing Lacey's room was around the corner, behind the wall to the foyer, so even if she woke up she wouldn't be able to see them right away, or hear them if they were quiet.

"Can I ask you something?" Megan batted her lashes a little, leaning back against the wall.

"What?"

"How long have you wanted to kiss me?" she whispered boldly.

Kate's blush took over her whole face, almost as much as her smile. She looked down at her feet, then back up into Megan's playful green eyes.

"Honestly? I think…it's hard to…"

"It's okay," Megan stopped her. "I don't know either."

"Good," Kate breathed a sigh of relief. She knew she first thought about it when they were working together in the lab late one night, though she couldn't remember if it had been before or after she'd broken up with Todd. She was glad Megan didn't seem to care. "I mean, I guess…I just…"

"If I asked you to kiss me now," Megan reached out and grabbed Kate's hand again, pulling her a little closer. "Would you?"

"Do you think it's…" she glanced back into the apartment.

"I do."

Kate swallowed. She kept Megan's fingers laced with her own, and then slowly closed the distance between their bodies, backing her up further into the wall. She brought her other hand to the side of her face. She waited for Megan to close her eyes, but the redhead continued to stare at her, not wanting to miss anything. Kate traced her forefinger over Megan's cheek bone, then down to her jaw, before bringing it to her lips. She dragged it gently across her bottom lip, and Megan's eyes slowly grew heavy. Finally, Kate cupped her chin with her hand and brought the other hand up to her chest, where Megan could feel the beating beneath her lace shirt, beneath her skin. Next thing she knew, the distance between then completely closed, and Kate's full, red lips brushed against her own, so softly, so lovingly, it took all her strength not to slide down the wall. She reached up and buried her hands in Kate's hair, pulling her closer as their lips continued to move. Kate kissed her like she had been waiting months, years even, and suddenly all of the tense moments and all of the deliciously teasing moments melted between them. Megan kissed her back, capturing her plump bottom lip between her own, sucking it in before lavishing the other with just as much attention. Kate's breath caught, and then she gently pushed her tongue inside Megan's mouth, to which Megan ever so softly moaned, accepting it, licking the length of it with her own tongue, turning it over in her mouth as she trailed her fingers down Kate's neck. The blonde squeezed her harder, bringing her hands to the small of her back, pulling her towards her body. Megan could feel the heat coming through beneath Kate's skirt, and she knew she needed to stop before they couldn't think clearly anymore. She gently pushed Kate away and leaned back against the wall.

"Sorry," Kate apologized, straightening her blouse, taking a step back.

"Are you kidding?" Megan glared at her sweetly.

"Okay, I'm not sorry," Kate smirked. "Just…don't want to get carried away…"

"I know."

"But that was…."

"Uh huh," Megan smirked.

"I have to go," Kate grabbed Megan's hand again and squeezed. "I'm going."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Megan pulled her back again for one, final, excruciatingly indulgent kiss before sending her home. After closing the door, she leaned back against it and shut her eyes. If she'd thought Wednesday night had been difficult, she had no idea what kind of torture she was in for now. She went into the bedroom, crawled under the covers, and began going over her calendar in her head, trying to figure out when they could get together for an actual date. A real date. With Kate Murphy._ Shit_.


	11. Chapter 11

Megan resisted texting Kate all weekend, knowing the teasing would have been too much to handle, and she needed to be fully engaged with Lacey's riding lessons and first foray into cheer camp. By Monday though, she wished she had at least sent her a thank you text, letting her know just how much she had enjoyed their time together. Still, she was pretty sure Kate knew. She had to. _How could she not?_

As she walked into her office, sending a text to Peter to check up on him and dropping her bag on the desk, she almost didn't notice the new item sitting there. When she finally did, her mouth hung open for a moment until she slowly sat down and rested her chin on her fist, taking it in. A tall, gorgeous purple and blue orchid stemmed up out of a white, square ceramic pot in the center of the desk. Clearly, Kate had paid attention to their conversation about what she liked. There was no card— _too risky_, Megan thought—but she knew exactly who it was from, and she couldn't wait to show her just how much she appreciated it.

Halfway through the day, she finally got her opportunity when she ran into Kate in the break room.

"Hello," Megan flirted as she leaned against the counter next to Kate, who was pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Hi," Kate smiled cautiously, though her eyes said everything.

"You're really something, you know that?"

Kate blushed.

"Because I listen?"

"Among other reasons," Megan swallowed. "Thank you."

Kate nodded, stirring her creamer into her coffee, wanting so badly to touch the woman standing in front of her.

"When do you think we might be able to…" Kate stopped speaking as Ethan entered the room, eyeing them shyly, waving a little as he went to the refrigerator to retrieve a snack.

"I'll…have to get back to you on that," Megan whispered, though not too low. She didn't want to make things more obvious than they probably were.

"Please do," Kate smirked before brushing past her and heading back to her office.

Megan stood there, not pouring herself a cup, not doing anything, just staring into space until Ethan waved a hand in front of her face and she jumped.

"Greetings earthling!" he joked in his Marvin the Martian voice.

"Yes?" she shot back.

"Sorry. I just wanted you to know I finished that tox screen you ordered. No traces of illegal drugs, a few legal ones though. You want to check it out now, or…?"

"I'll be right there," she insisted.

"You okay? You seem…I don't know…flustered…or, you know what, I'm sure you're fine," he stammered as she glared at him. He quickly left her alone to gather her thoughts before she followed him back to the lab.

* * *

The next day, Kate called everyone into the board room for an impromptu staff meeting.

"The Commissioner is sending me to an international conference hosted by the CDC this weekend in New York," she informed them. "On the heels of the Marburg epidemic, she thinks it's vital that we have more knowledge about the most threatening and likely diseases terrorists may use in their attacks."

"Are they afraid of copy cats?" Ethan asked, turning a little pale.

"There doesn't appear to be any threat of that currently," Kate assured. "But this is the world we live in today, and the Commissioner thinks it's best to stay as informed as possible."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Megan mused, though she was secretly disappointed Kate would be gone all weekend, meaning they'd have to wait until next week to see each other again, _if _they could find the time.

"Curtis," Kate continued. "You'll be in charge on Friday and responsible for the on-call phone over the weekend."

"I don't get to come too?" he complained. "Wouldn't it be a good idea to send two people to get this information? What if you go down again? Then what?"

Kate felt herself falter a little at the thought of ever having to go through an epidemic like that again. Megan noticed the reaction and glared at Curtis before punching him in the shoulder.

"Hey, watch it, Nikita! You know I speak the truth."

"Yeah, well you don't have to verbalize things so bluntly," Megan fumed.

"Look who's talking!" Curtis bit back.

"Enough," Kate interrupted. "Curtis is right. We do need more than one person familiar with these viruses. However, the Commissioner wants to send the person she thinks already has the most in-depth knowledge and experience, and that's Megan."

Megan felt a discombobulating array of different energies fill the room. Curtis immediately began to protest, though she could barely hear his muffled whines through the pounding in her ears. She was thrilled with the opportunity to go to the conference, of course. But she was also thrilled, excited, and more than a little nervous to be going _with Kate_. To New York. Just the two of them. For the weekend.

"You mean to tell me…." Curtis continued to groan.

"Curtis, that's it. I'm sorry we can't bring everyone," she lied. "But those are the orders."

The man crossed his arms and continued to sulk as everyone filed out of the room. Megan did feel bad for him, though not bad enough. She continued to sit frozen in the conference room chair while Kate leaned against the end of the table with both hands, waiting for the rest of the crew to file out before shutting the door.

"Can you get away this weekend?" Kate needed to confirm.

"Of course I can," Megan laughed. "Do I even have a choice?"

"I'm sure if you couldn't make it, the Commissioner would send Curtis instead. Though she wouldn't be happy about it," Kate admitted, stalking halfway down the conference room table before sitting, afraid to come any closer. "Nor would I."

Megan smirked, trying not to blush. She knew someone—namely Curtis—was probably still watching them through the window.

"I wouldn't miss it," she breathed seductively, watching as Kate crossed her legs.

"You do realize we'll be working?"

"Sure," Megan smiled. "During the day."

"And what do you think's going to happen at night?" Kate whispered deeply.

"Depends. Are we sharing a room?"

"No," Kate clarified. "She has two rooms booked for us at The Pierre. The conference is at Colombia, so it's not far."

"Oh," Megan's heart sank a little.

"That doesn't mean we can't visit," Kate whispered. "For extended periods of time."

"Maybe even overnight?" Megan smirked.

"If time permits," Kate teased, knowing full well that's what she wanted too.

They were both acting pretty cavalier about it, but at least as far as Kate was concerned, this was as nerve-wracking as it was exciting. She had zero sexual experience with women, though she'd known for a long time she was interested, longer than she'd known Megan. She had never dared come out to herself, let alone anyone else, and when her brother did and it went badly, she just buried those feelings even deeper. But now, she felt more in charge of her life than ever before, and having almost lost it, she was not willing to waste any more time being afraid.

Megan felt just as anxious, though in a good way, for the most part. She had also never acknowledged her attraction to women, hadn't even realized it until she started noticing her reaction to Kate during some of their better conversations, even some of their fights. She wasn't that nervous about the physical aspects. Even though it had been years since she'd actually had sex, she was pretty sure she and Kate would figure it out, especially if that kiss was any sign. It was really the emotional part that caused her to worry. She still didn't know how far Kate was willing to take this. Sure, she seemed happy to have Lacey be a part of her life, but was she ready to be an actual parent figure? _If it comes to that_, she reminded herself, which at this point she had no idea, and she wouldn't know until they had a chance to talk. For now, she let the anticipation take over any fears the 'what ifs' tried to throw at her.

"Our flight leaves Friday morning at seven thirty," Kate handed her the itinerary, letting their fingers brush for just a moment. "Want to just meet at the airport?"

"Sounds good," Megan nodded.

"Megan," Kate whispered. "I…don't know exactly what any of this means yet."

"That makes two of us," Megan swallowed.

"But I'm really glad we'll have a chance to talk…see what happens," she smiled again, her cheeks turning pink, assuring Megan that whatever this was, Kate wanted it to happen just as much.

"Me too," Megan agreed.

They pulled themselves away and left the conference room, trying to focus on their work even as their minds drifted to what the weekend might hold.

* * *

Thursday afternoon, Megan stopped by Peter's place to pay him a house call. She felt badly she hadn't gone to see him every day, like she had with Kate, but the police department had hired him a live-in nurse for the time being, so that sort of let her off the hook.

"Thanks, Emily," Peter smiled as the nurse left the room. "She's cute, right?"

Megan shook her head. "You're too much."

"You don't mind," he laughed. "So how's everything back at the office?"

"Good, good," Megan sighed, wishing she could tell him about everything going on with Kate. _Tell anyone_, really. "I'm going to a conference this weekend in New York. CDC stuff."

"More research on viruses and plagues and what not? You going by yourself?"

"No. Kate's going too," she replied nonchalantly.

"Ah," Peter smiled suggestively. "Of course she is."

"What?" Megan laughed, trying not to panic.

"Nothing. You two sharing a room?"

"Peter, what kind of a question is that?"

"A good one, I think."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," he argued. "Come on, Megan. You can be honest with me. I've seen the way you two look at each other, even when you're going at it. You think we haven't been through enough together for you to trust me yet?"

She searched the air with her eyes, trying not to give anything away as she considered it, then decided she couldn't betray Kate's trust. Even though she hadn't said not to tell people, it was implied.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss this with anyone," she finally responded. "So don't take it personally."

"Alright, alright," he chuckled. "Just so long as I'm not the last to know when you finally can talk about it."

"Talk about what?" Megan glared at him, ending the conversation.

The two continued to hang out for a while until she told him she had to go home and finish packing. She was glad to see her friend was slowly but surely getting back to his old self again.


	12. Chapter 12

After taking Lacey over to her mother's and confirming that she'd drop her off and pick her up from school—since Todd was out of town again—Megan met up with Kate at the airport. The blonde wore a navy blue trench coat, her signature Loubitains, and clutched her white carry-on bag under her arm while speaking to someone on the phone near the window in the terminal. She hung up when she spotted Megan approaching.

"You look way too good to be stepping on a plane right now," Megan mused, checking Kate out under the guise of checking out her ensemble.

"You're one to talk," Kate smirked, repaying the favor, taking in the woman's Prada pumps first, followed by her leather, turquoise trench and of course, her perfect red mane topping it all off. "We are heading to New York, after all."

"I love New York," Megan sighed as they both took their seats and waited to board.

After a short flight, they landed at La Guardia and took a cab to The Pierre, where they checked in and had their bags sent up to their rooms before heading over to Colombia for day one of the conference. The two were immediately swarmed by journalists, who of course had heard all about their involvement in the Marburg epidemic back in Philly. Megan unwittingly grabbed onto Kate's elbow, helping to navigate them through the crowd. Kate kept her sunglasses on as she pushed through the slew of flashes and notepads being flailed at them. Finally, once they made it into the building, they were greeted by a familiar face.

"Charlie," Kate tried not to hiccup. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too, darlin'" he smiled, kissing her on both cheeks before turning to Megan, who practically had smoke coming out of her ears. "Dr. Hunt. Great to see you again."

"Dr. Stafford," she shook his hand coldly. "What _are_ you doing here? I thought you got fired."

"I did," he confirmed. "But, the CDC knows I'm the best guy to give all these other Joe Schmos the debriefing on the Philly situation, along with the two of you of course. And I'm just hoping, with any luck, we'll give 'em a good enough show to get my job back."

"That would be great," Megan had to agree. As much as she hated the idea of this guy taking Kate out, he had also been crucial to saving her life. Without him stealing that vaccine, she wouldn't be here today. Megan chased that horrific thought from her mind and returned her attention to the present moment.

"So, once night falls and all the other white coats head home for the evening, think I can take you two out for a night in the Big Apple?" Charlie asked, though he focused most of his attention on Kate.

"Actually," Kate started to burst his bubble. "We have other plans. Maybe another time."

"Both nights? You've got plans tonight, and…"

"Yes," Megan took it upon herself to add, even though she wasn't sure what their plans were yet. Kate smirked, barely containing her laugh.

"Alright, well," he scratched his head disappointedly. "Good seeing you two, regardless. Let's head in there and scare these people half to death."

The day began with a long, exhaustive press conference, followed by several break-out sessions on different strains of viruses, research on vaccines, and a special forum by the New York City Police Department and the FBI on strategies for counteracting terrorism. By six o'clock, Megan was ready to head back to her room and kick off her heels for the evening, even if it meant shirking some of the remaining doctor's who wanted to have a meeting of the minds. She looked around the grand ballroom for Kate, finally spotting her in the far corner, completely surrounded by medical professionals, scientists and investigators from almost every country on the planet. They were enthralled by her, of course, and she clearly had plenty to tell them, having been so involved with the outbreak from practically every angle. Megan wanted to see how much longer she'd be, but didn't think this was a good time to interrupt her. She figured when she was ready for dinner—and whatever else they had planned for the evening—she would come to her room and let her know.

Back at the hotel, Megan freshened up a bit. She changed into a black dress and a new pair of Jimmy Choos, reapplied her eye makeup, fluffed her hair, and lie on the bed, waiting. She flipped on the TV for a while, opting for the NYC Information Channel, wondering if there was any chance she and Kate could catch a show at some point over the weekend. But by the time eight thirty rolled around, she was starting to wonder if they'd even make it out of the hotel except to head back to the conference.

At some point she fell asleep, only to be woken up by incessant knocking at the door. She hazily rolled over and checked her phone, shocked to see that it was now eleven. She kicked off her heels and sprinted to the door, where she checked through the peephole. It was Kate.

"Where have you been?" Megan asked her, allowing the woman to step inside. After all these hours, she still looked flawless. "Please don't tell me you were with Charlie," she groaned groggily.

Kate whipped around and glared at her, turning red.

"Try answering a hundred thousand questions about the virus," Kate threw off her coat and plunked herself down on the bed heavily. "About the autopsies, the sterilization techniques. About what it was like to stab myself with an infected needle. About passing out in front of most of America, bleeding from unmentionable orifices, wondering whether I would live or…"

"Kate," Megan sat next to her, rubbing her back as the blonde buried her face into the pillows. Finally, she turned over and looked up at Megan.

"I'm exhausted," she rolled her eyes, biting her lip to try to stop herself from crying. "How could you even think I'd be out enjoying myself, with Charlie of all people?" She pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face again, this time against her knees.

"Hey," Megan grabbed her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know this is difficult, but I'm here."

"Where were you before?" Kate stared up at her again. "Why did you leave?"

Megan's mouth gaped open.

"I was tired too. I didn't think you wanted me looming over you while you were busy, so I just…"

"Did I say I didn't want you there?" Kate asked, sniffling. Megan handed her a tissue off the end table. Kate grabbed it, thanklessly. Megan shook her head.

"Honestly, Kate, if I had known you wanted me to be there, I never would have left. I just thought I'd get out of the way and wait for you here. I promise, tomorrow, I'll stay by your side all day if you want me to. I'll answer whatever questions you get tired of answering, okay? Don't be mad at me," she pleaded, which was really, _really _rare for her, but she did not want to screw things up before they'd even given it a fair shot.

Kate looked at her with tiny bags under her beautiful blue eyes. Megan reached out slowly and wiped away one of her tears. Kate's lips finally curled into a soft smile.

"Okay," she whispered, before leaning back against the pillows. Megan lie next to her, and the blonde finally took her hand, brought it to her lips and kissed it. Megan nuzzled against her side and wrapped her arms around her, knowing just how to hold her to make her feel better.

"I really am exhausted though," Kate sniffed. "I don't think I even have the energy to…"

"It's okay," Megan interrupted, kissing her cheek. "We don't have to do anything tonight. We can just cuddle."

Kate smirked, her ears turning pink.

"I was going to say…I don't think I even have the energy to go out to dinner." She smiled down at the redhead.

Megan turned the brightest shade of crimson.

"Oh…sorry…I just…"

Her rambling was thwarted by Kate's lips crushing into her own, very gently slipping over Megan's briefly before pulling away, leaving the redhead speechless.

"You're right though," Kate continued to smile. "I definitely don't have the energy for that."

Megan narrowed her eyes sweetly at the blonde before resting her head back on her shoulder.

"You must be hungry," she said. "I know I am. Why don't I order us some room service?"

Kate agreed. Megan stood next to the bed and flipped through the book on the nightstand, looking at the menu, allowing Kate to finally notice how dressed up she was.

"You're beautiful," Kate whispered as Megan dialed the number.

"So are you," Megan mouthed. "Hi, this is Megan Hunt, Room 218. I'd like to order two cheeseburgers, an order of fries and two Cokes, please? Yes. Yes, that's fine. Oh, and could you fry an egg and put it on top of each burger? Okay great, thanks," she hung up. "Twenty minutes," she told Kate.

"An egg, Megan? Really?"

"Trust me, my love. Everything's better with an egg on it."

Kate shook her head before realizing what Megan had just said. She searched her face, curious to see if she had realized it herself. Clearly she had, because she was three shades redder than before, if that was possible. Megan crawled back onto the bed, hiking up her dress a little so she could sit cross-legged next to Kate, then looked at her almost sheepishly.

"What did you call me?" Kate asked defiantly, but with a twinkle in her eye.

Megan visibly swallowed this time. Her cheeks were on fire.

"Is that...I mean, sometimes I call Lacey the same thing."

"Oh," Kate laughed. "I see. So you feel the same way about me as you do…"

"No!" Megan punched her in the arm gently, rolling her eyes. "It's just… a term of endearment. For people I care about."

"You mean people you love?" Kate asked boldly.

Megan took a deep breath.

"Maybe…"

"Maybe we're not ready for this conversation," Kate suggested.

Megan froze. Kate didn't seem upset. She wasn't running out the door, or saying she didn't feel the same way. She just wasn't ready. _Why am I ready?_ Megan thought. _This is ridiculous…_

"It's okay," Kate assured her, reaching for her face, smoothing her fingers across her cheek before planting another sweet kiss on her lips. "I just think we should get some other things out on the table, talk about everything when we're not so wiped out."

Megan nodded, trying to bring her breathing back to normal.

"Agreed."

They continued to lie together, giving each other soft tickles up and down their arms, dozing off, until their food arrived. When it did, they scarfed it down faster than they both knew was healthy, then Kate looked at herself and realized she was still in the same outfit she'd worn all day.

"I really don't feel like going back down to my room and changing," she admitted.

"Good, because I don't want you to leave," Megan smirked. "You can borrow something."

She handed Kate a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. Kate stepped into the bathroom to change, which Megan thought was incredibly cute considering she was hoping in less than twenty four hours they would no longer be quite so chaste with one another. She changed into her own night clothes while Kate was in there, borrowing other toiletries before giving Megan her turn. It felt very domestic, Megan thought, something she could barely remember experiencing, it had been so long. But it didn't feel too awkward at this point. That had to be a good sign.

Back in bed, they tangled their limbs together again, happy to collapse against each other, already knowing exactly what position felt right.

"I'm so glad you're here with me," Kate whispered against Megan's ear.

"There's nowhere I'd rather be," she replied, meaning it more than anything she'd ever said.

The two gave each other a few more lazy kisses before promptly falling asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Megan woke up to the feeling of fingers gently tracing her spine, crawling up and down her skin through her cotton sleep shirt. She arched her back a little, leaning into the touch, before rolling over to face the woman in her bed. Kate's eyes were just barely open, but Megan could make out the blue irises glistening back at her. She raised her fingers to Kate's lips, thumbing the generous, perfectly pink pout before the blonde pulled her in and began kissing her neck, softly licking against her pulse, all the while continuing to trace shapes against her back. Megan sighed as she ran her nails down Kate's stomach, hips, then over the curves of her ass. Kate hissed when she felt Megan grab on and pull her even tighter. The blonde finally returned her lips to Megan's, frantically sucking in her bottom lip, nibbling it before bringing her hands to the front of her shirt, where she palmed her breasts through the cotton.

"Kate…"

"You feel…so…" Kate whispered, back at her neck again, trailing kisses down until she was gently biting her shoulder.

Suddenly, an alarm began to sound from one of their phones.

"Shit," Kate froze.

"Hit snooze," Megan attempted to order, though her voice was uncharacteristically weak.

"I can't," Kate groaned. "Trust me, I want to. But that's my second alarm, the back up. It means I slept through the first one."

"Really?" Megan mused. "I didn't hear anything."

"Of course you didn't," Kate smirked. "You're dead to the world when you're asleep."

Megan rolled her eyes before returning the bite to Kate's shoulder. Kate shook her head as she took in a deep breath.

"I have to go," she complained, giving the redhead one more kiss on the lips before pushing up on her elbows and rolling out of bed.

"I'm coming with you, remember?" Megan grumbled.

"Yes," Kate confirmed as she gathered up her purse and her clothes from the night before. "I'll meet you in the lobby after I take a quick shower and get ready. Thirty minutes, tops."

"Try forty-five," Megan corrected as she stretched, still half asleep.

Kate smiled sweetly, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

"Deal."

* * *

Megan kept her promise to stay with Kate all day, even as people tried to get them apart. She started to think maybe they really could do this: be at each other's side, personally and professionally, without things getting complicated. By late afternoon, she could tell Kate was growing tired again. The two women and Charlie sat on a panel in one of the seminar rooms, taking questions about the vaccine and its effectiveness.

"So basically, even though I broke the law, this was our one shot at saving not only Dr. Murphy, but possibly the entire human race," Charlie gloated, though he had a right to. "Anyone wanna argue with my tactics?"

"What about long term effects?" Dr. Calderone, a persistently abrasive fellow sitting in the back row, called out to them.

"There haven't appeared to be…" Charlie continued.

"Why don't you let _her_ answer the question?" Calderone insisted, turning his focus towards Kate. "Have there been any adverse effects, Dr. Murphy? Headaches? Decreased appetite?" He paused, grinning slyly before asking the next one. "Sexual dysfunction?"

"Uh, excuse me," Megan interrupted. "I don't think this is the time or place for you to be asking those kinds of questions. Besides, she hasn't suffered any…"

"Who are you to chime in on this?" Calderone argued back, dripping with arrogance.

Megan seethed, gritting her teeth before she could form a response.

"I'm her…"

"She's the best M.E. to ever work for me," Kate cut her off. "But you're right, she's not my regular physician. Actually, I haven't felt the need for a check-up since returning to work. So to answer your question, no. There haven't been any long term effects."

"That you know of. Yet," Dr. Calderone pronounced before continuing to scribble in his notebook.

Megan attempted to catch Kate's gaze even for a moment. She tried not to feel too offended by the way the blonde handled the situation, considering how distressing and uncomfortable it was. Still, _"the best M.E. to ever work for me,"_ she thought. It was true, no doubt, but it felt incredibly minimizing considering the past couple of weeks.

_Maybe this is how it's going to be_, Megan continued to wonder. What if Kate never wanted to come out? She understood not wanting to announce it right then and there. _That was inconsiderate_, Megan thought, scolding herself, although she wasn't exactly sure what she was going to say. _Girlfriend? Partner?_ They hadn't discussed any of it, and she was hoping this hadn't ruined the opportunity they would have to finally clarify things this evening. She glanced over at Kate again, hoping she could catch her attention this time. The blonde gave her the tiniest, barely there smile before crossing her legs and bringing her hand to rest on Megan's knee under the table where no one could see it. _Good_, Megan breathed a small sigh of relief. She's wasn't completely pissed, but still…

When the panel finally wrapped up and the conference schedule drew to a close, Charlie followed Kate and Megan out onto the steps of the building.

"You ladies sure I can't buy the first round tonight?" he tried again. "It's the least I can do to thank you for your more than generous…"

"Thanks, Charlie, but no," Kate tried to let him down gently the second time. "We're grateful for everything you've done. With any luck, we'll see you in charge of this conference next year."

"Absolutely," he smiled. He kissed Kate on the cheek again, and Megan even let him in for a hug before they watched him get into a cab.

Finally alone, Kate turned to Megan with bright eyes, clearly fighting through any exhaustion she was feeling tonight.

"Ready for dinner?" she asked Megan.

"Where are we heading?"

"You'll see," Kate smiled, hailing them another taxi.


	14. Chapter 14

As the cab pulled up to 10 Columbus Circle, Megan started to get a lump in her throat. Being a serious foodie, she knew exactly where they were headed.

"Kate, how did you…"

"My brother knows a guy," the blonde shrugged coyly.

Megan continued to shake her head as they got out of the car and walked into the lobby of Per Se.

"Your brother _knows a guy_?" Megan continued to muse as they were led to their table, which was dimply lit with a candle and the most exquisite arrangement of light pink roses and white orchids. "People make reservations months in advance. How…"

"He called in a favor," Kate continued to play it cool. "I told him it was a special occasion."

"Which is?" Megan blushed.

"Our first real date," Kate smirked.

Megan's cheeks began to hurt, she was smiling so hard.

"Seriously…this is…"

"Just promise you'll explain how it works," Kate whispered. "I'm really more of a late night cheeseburger girl, truth be told, but I'm up for trying new things."

"Is it bad that this is our first date and I'm already planning on breaking my rule about taking things slow?" Megan narrowed her eyes and felt for Kate's ankle with her foot, which she had so smoothly removed from her shoe.

"I'm counting on it," Kate swallowed as her cheeks flushed.

The server promptly greeted them, and they ordered a bottle of champagne and the Chef's Tasting Menu. The evening's fare included Tsar Imperial Oyster Caviar, Sautéed Fillet of Atlantic Striped Bass, "Pave" of Scottish Langoustines, Elysian Fields Farm's Lamb, and what seemed like a dozen other mind-blowing dishes, each brought out in the most teasingly delicious proportions, one after the other. Megan was clearly in heaven, and Kate felt herself getting warmer every time the redhead closed her eyes and moaned as she took a bite. By the time they got to the "Pamplemousse Blanc," they were both full and ready to head back to the hotel.

"Unbelievable," Megan continued to rave. "I have to tell you, Dr. Murphy, no one's ever tried to seduce me quite like this before."

Kate just smiled. Megan took a deep breath, knowing she was about to bring up something she had to get out in the air before she could really, truly let herself be as vulnerable as she wanted to be.

"About earlier," Megan began. "When I sort of jumped in, back on that panel, with the guy who was clearly out of line…I just…"

"Its okay, Megan. I get it. That guy was a pig."

"Yeah, he was."

"Still…I can take care of myself. I know I asked you to stick with me, and I appreciate that, but there are going to be times when I need to just…"

"Not be gay?" Megan boldly surmised, raising an eyebrow somewhat playfully.

Kate glared back.

"Who says I'm gay?"

"You're not?" Megan asked, determined to have this conversation one way or another.

"Are you?" Kate tried to turn the tables.

"I'm not sure," Megan tried to laugh. "But obviously, I'm open to…"

"I'm not sure either," Kate bit back. "And I'm…somewhat open."

"What do you mean 'somewhat'?" Megan hard-lined, starting to get a knot in her stomach.

"'Somewhat,' meaning…. privately I'm happy to explore this. Professionally, I don't think I'll be making an announcement any time soon."

"I'm not saying you need to hold a press conference," Megan joked. "But eventually, if we're really going to do this, people are bound to find out."

"Are they?" Kate raised an eyebrow. "What are we doing, exactly?"

Megan shook her head. "Apparently we have different takes on it."

"I'm not so sure I'll ever be ready to be known as 'that lesbian Chief Medical Examiner.'"

Megan scoffed.

"I don't think you give people enough credit," she argued. "I know your parents were horrible, and there are plenty of people like them out there, but there are also people who get it, or who at least don't care."

"_I care_," Kate stated firmly.

Megan froze at how serious the woman across the table suddenly was, how straight she sat up in her chair.

"I've worked really, _really_ hard to get where I am today, with very little support. From anyone." Kate continued. "Its a little naïve to think people will just stand behind you and accept you without trying to tear you down."

"Not _all_ people are like the Commissioner, Kate," Megan cut her off. "Weren't you the one who told me you can't fight everyone all the time? At some point, you have to…"

"Okay, you know what?" Kate shifted nervously. "Maybe I'm not ready for this."

Megan tried not to let Kate see just how much she was panicking behind her façade.

"Could have fooled me," Megan swallowed. "Between the flowers, the fancy dinners, waking me up with…"

"Megan…"

"You know, Todd said something once about you being a flake," the redhead continued, trying not to sound too angry, but failing. "I defended you then, but maybe he was right."

Kate's mouth gaped. She couldn't believe Megan had actually gone there.

"Screw Todd," she seethed.

"Funny," Megan scowled. "You already did."

Kate narrowed her eyes and turned completely red. Megan instantly regretted it, knowing she'd gone too far. Kate reached into her purse, pulling out a couple hundred dollar bills and throwing them on the table.

"You can take a cab back to the hotel. I'll walk."

She got up quickly and headed for the exit. Megan stared down at the table, awe-struck at how quickly things had gone sour, before getting up and following her.

"Kate!" she called when she got outside. "You are not walking by yourself. This is insane."

The blonde didn't answer her. She crossed the street, heading towards the park, staying on the sidewalk just outside the gate, not really sure which direction she was headed in.

"Kate, stop," Megan tried again as she caught up with her. "That was a stupid thing for me to say. I'm…"

"What was it you said when we first started this?" Kate interrupted. "That the past didn't matter?"

"It doesn't" Megan insisted. "I don't care about Todd. It was never about him."

"Really?"

"Really. You think I got so upset about it because I cared about _him_?"

"Seriously, Megan? I should never have even attempted to figure you out."

"Kate, please!" she reached for her arm, taking a chance by pulling her to a halt. Luckily, the woman allowed it, though she continued to look anywhere but into Megan's eyes.

"You were right," Megan continued, breathing heavily. "I was too brazen today at the conference, I get it. And I know it's going to take time for you to feel comfortable. It's not that easy for me either, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let this slip away," she tried not to choke up. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't usually fight for people, not when it comes to love. In fact, I don't think I've ever fought for anyone in my entire life. So if you could just _try_ forgive me for the times I've lashed out at you when I wasn't ready to let someone make me feel this way, I…"

Kate stared at her blankly. Megan was thrown by it, not sure if the woman was completely over everything, or if somehow she was getting through.

"There's that word again," Kate whispered.

"What word?"

"Love."

_Shit_, Megan thought.

"You're right," she swallowed.

"Is that how you feel?" Kate asked, biting her lip, apparently trying just as hard not to break.

Megan slowly nodded. She had come this far, she figured she had nothing to lose.

Kate took a step forward, looking down at her feet again for a moment before returning her gaze.

"It's taken me almost forty years to come this far," she admitted. "You think you could be a little patient while I try to catch up with you?"

"Meaning?" Megan asked, confused.

"Meaning…I'm scared too, but I'm trying. I'm not exactly ready to tell the whole world," the blonde took another step forward. "But I am ready… to feel this."

Kate pulled Megan's hand against her chest again, just as she had done before kissing her for the first time. Megan slowly released all the tension that had crept into her muscles as she closed her eyes and felt the racing beneath Kate's skin. She tried not to stammer when she spoke next.

"So…are you saying…you love me too?"

Kate looked around only for a few seconds before bringing her lips to Megan's and giving her the softest, sweetest kiss she had ever received, all the while nodding yes. Megan laughed a little as she pulled the woman into her lips again, returning the soft kiss before going deeper.

"Thought so," Megan smirked as she pulled back. "I'm not wrong very often."

Kate rolled her eyes and grabbed Megan's shoulders, kissing her again before hailing a cab. The two tried to keep their hands off each other in the backseat as they made their way back to the hotel.


	15. Chapter 15

Kate struggled getting the key into the door as Megan nibbled her ear, all the while working on the buttons of her trench. Finally, she pushed the door open. Once inside, she slammed it shut, and Megan pressed her up against it, bringing her body flush with her back as she kissed her neck, pulling her coat off her shoulders. Kate turned around and allowed herself to be taken, finally, by the woman she was absolutely smitten with.

Megan stared into Kate's eyes and smiled, letting her breath tickle the blonde's nose. Kate brought her lips to Megan's mouth and hungrily sucked in her lips before lapping at the insides, sliding her tongue against her as she shook. She buried her fingers into silky red locks and pulled her closer.

"You are…" Kate kissed between words. "The most …brilliant…beautiful…infuriating…"

"Had to throw that one in there didn't you?" Megan smirked.

Kate bit Megan's bottom lip as she flipped them, backing her up against the wall next to the door. She returned to her neck, sucking hard as she ran her hands down the sides of Megan's body, relishing in the curves beneath the purple cashmere. Megan leaned back and made tiny little noises that added to the growing wetness between Kate's legs. When she got to the hem of Megan's sweater, she locked eyes with her again as she pulled it up and over her head, revealing breasts kept barely at bay by the sexiest black lace bra she had ever seen.

"Jesus," Kate breathed, hesitantly bringing her hands to the lace, squeezing the ample mounds before gently rubbing her thumbs over her nipples, through the fabric. Megan threw her head back and landed it with a thud against the wall, not feeling any pain. She gasped as Kate trailed her fingers down over her abdomen and her sides, all the while kissing and licking at her skin, until she found the zipper on her skirt and slid it down. Megan shimmied, letting the garment fall to the floor before stepping out of it and spreading her legs just barely, letting Kate's thigh slip in between.

"Kate," she gasped. "I'm…I need…to touch you…"

"Please," Kate sighed.

Megan brought her hands to the bottom of Kate's grey dress and slid them up beneath it, first feeling the smooth skin of her cheeks before grabbing on, digging her nails into them. Kate leaned fervently against Megan's warm center, desperate for contact, as Megan gave in and lifted the dress above her head, throwing it behind them. She pushed Kate away from her just a few inches so she could look down between them at the woman's stunning body, her blue silk panties and matching bra leaving little to the imagination. Megan wrapped her arms around Kate and pulled her in again, hugging her tightly, swearing she'd never let go.

She led the blonde over to the bed and playfully pushed her backwards until she fell against the sheets. Megan reached for Kate's legs, spreading them and pulling her to the edge of the bed, where she wrapped them around her and smiled devilishly, eyes full of want. Kate smirked back.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kate hissed as Megan climbed on top, straddling her stomach before leaning down and licking her ear again.

"What does it feel like I'm doing?" she whispered, dragging her fingers up the woman's arms so slowly until she got to the straps of her bra and pulled them down. She reached behind her and undid the hook, then removed the lingerie and flung it across the room. Kate's peach-colored nipples stood up, tightly wound atop her incredible breasts. Megan bent down and just barely licked one of them, teasing until she couldn't help sucking it into her mouth.

"Oh my god," Kate moaned, arching her back, grabbing onto Megan's waist.

Megan giggled against her chest, continuing to lick, until suddenly Kate used all her strength to flip them again. She grabbed Megan to her chest and got rid of her bra before flinging her back down against the bed, then leaning over her, letting her breasts brush teasingly against her stomach.

"Fuck," Megan panted, grabbing Kate's face, bringing her towards her lips again.

Kate kissed her slowly, cupping her face, tracing the sides with her fingers. She pulled back to stare into Megan's glowing green eyes before bringing a finger to trail over her eyebrow. She felt the tiny scar there, the one from when Polley had attacked her, and swallowed. She couldn't believe all of the things they had been through together, all of the things that had almost taken them from each other for good. _And they'd beat them one by one_.

She leaned down again and kissed the scar ever so gently before bringing her lips to hover over Megan's. Megan had never seen this look in Kate's eyes, so open, so…

"I love you," Kate breathed into her.

"I…love you…too," Megan sighed as she felt Kate slowly sliding her underwear down her legs.

Kate kept her eyes linked with Megan's as she brought her fingers to the soft, wet curls sitting between her thighs. Megan closed her eyes and tilted her head back as Kate began exploring, dragging her fingers through the hair, marveling at how wonderful she felt. Megan spread her legs for her, grabbing on to Kate's neck, pulling her even tighter as the blonde continued to slip through her folds, finally approaching her hottest point. She took a deep breath and kissed the lips of the woman beneath her before gently entering her for the first time, sliding two fingers in, to which Megan gasped and practically crawled up her body.

"Ungh…"Megan made sounds that went straight through Kate's spine, urging her to press forward. She began to curl her fingers inside Megan, feeling every corner, every ridge, while Megan writhed beneath her, pushing herself against the fingers as they reached deep inside her, filling her up.

"Is this…" Kate breathed, trying to check in. "Are you…"

"Yes," Megan hissed. "God yes…"

Kate kissed her again, running her tongue over her lower lip while starting to slip in and out, rocking her own hips against the woman beneath her, straddling one of her thighs. Megan moaned as she felt Kate's wetness sliding against her skin, raising her hips to give her more contact while forcing Kate's hand to press even deeper. Kate held on to Megan's cheek with her other hand, then trailed it down to squeeze one of her breasts, trying to feel every inch of her. Megan shook from head to toe as her breath became more labored and high-pitched.

"Kate! Ah…I…"

She threw her head back again and dug her nails into Kate's shoulders as she tightened around her fingers and her face contorted into a painfully pleasurable glare. She sighed loudly as she finally stopped shaking, letting go of Kate for a moment and covering her eyes with her hands before opening them again. She pulled the blonde flush with her body, letting their sweat mix as they kissed. Kate wrapped her arms and legs around Megan and nuzzled into her side, panting still, trying to get herself under control again as well.

Megan shook her head back and forth before starting to laugh with such joy Kate knew she was more than okay.

"You…" Kate whispered as she traced Megan's lips with her fingers.

Megan turned on her side finally, facing the woman who had just given her the world.

"There are no words," Megan whispered back.

"I can think of a few," Kate smirked.

Megan rubbed their noses together before meeting her lips again.

"I can't stop kissing you."

"Don't," Kate kissed back. "Ever."

Megan climbed on top of her again, this time locking her legs harder around the blonde's hips and pinning her arms to the bed.

"You deserve everything," Megan swallowed. "I want to give you everything."

"You already have," Kate smiled.

Megan grinned. Clearly, she had more in mind. She kissed Kate again, so hard and yet so tenderly, grabbing her cheeks, smoothing them with her thumbs, before looking into her eyes.

"When you passed out that day at the press conference…and I thought I was going to lose you," she whispered. "I knew that somehow, if you made it through, I had to tell you. But I didn't know how."

"That's why you showed me," Kate grabbed her hand and began kissing each finger so slowly. "Took care of me."

Megan nodded.

"It was only a matter of time," the redhead smirked. "Even Peter said so."

Kate froze.

"He _what_?"

"I told him he was crazy," Megan assured her. "Told him he didn't know what he was talking about but…he knew."

"I guess the sparks between us are kind of hard to miss," Kate rolled her eyes.

Megan shook her head and grinned at her again before leaning down and whispering against her cheek.

"Whatever it takes to make this work," Megan told her. "I'm in."

Kate arched her back as she felt Megan's fingers searching through blonde curls.

"Just keep doing…what…" Kate breathed.

Megan's long red locks tickled as they trailed down Kate's chest, preceded by the softest kisses, making her stomach tingle. When she got to Kate's hip bone, she dragged her tongue and teeth across it, relishing in the salty, sweet skin there. Kate's hips bucked a little beneath her touch, and Megan could no longer wait. She looked at the patch of blonde glistening before her and sighed.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Kate shivered.

Megan glared at her, lovingly.

"When do I ever second guess myself?" she feigned total confidence, the desire to please Kate breaking through any hesitancy she felt.

As she buried her face between her thighs, Kate gripped on to the sheets on either side of her head. Megan held her hips in place as she parted Kate's lips with her tongue, devouring her fully, tasting the most potent, perfect blend of every scent and flavor Kate possessed. She ran her tongue over her entrance, dipping inside before bringing it to the small mound resting at the top.

"I…oh my god…" Kate panted. Megan reached up and grabbed one of Kate's hands with her own, holding it against her stomach as she continued to come undone. She licked faster and faster until the blonde was rolling herself deeper into Megan's mouth, grabbing on to her head gently, encouraging every move the redhead made. Finally, she wrapped her legs behind Megan's back, squeezing as she let go of every other bit of tension in her body. Megan felt her chin get soaked as Kate came exquisitely against her mouth. She kissed her throbbing center several more times before wiping her face with her fingers and then licking them, savoring every last drop, before returning to lie next to her.

"That was…incredible," Megan kissed her cheek. "I hope it was for you too."

Kate narrowed her eyes at her, even as she continued to regain her breath.

"You're….genius…" she mumbled.

Megan smirked, giggling as she threw her arm across Kate's chest and pulled the covers up over them. The two held each other for what seemed like hours, though only minutes passed.

"What time does our flight leave tomorrow?" Megan finally mused.

"Not until two," Kate confirmed.

"Perfect," Megan whispered.

Soon, Kate heard the familiar sound of tiny snores coming from the woman lying against her chest. As much as everything was definitely changing, she marveled at all the little ways she knew they'd stay the same.

* * *

The next morning in the airport, Kate stared out at the other planes taking off. She felt more relaxed, more settled than she had in ages. After having gone through so much in the past month, she finally felt like the universe was righting itself. At the same time, questions of what was next flitted through her mind. _When will Megan tell Lacey?_ She thought. And what will Todd think? When would be the best time to tell their colleagues? Then again, how many people really needed to know their personal business so long as they didn't let it interfere with their work? That seemed to be the biggest question of all: could they continue working together, riding out the occasional differences of opinion and office squabbles, while maintaining their romantic relationship? She knew she needed to take things day by day, but that was hard when the woman approaching her with two hot cups of coffee was smiling at her with such unflinching certainty.

"What did they say?" Megan asked.

"It's only a short delay. We'll be boarding in a few minutes."

"Good," Megan sighed. "Lacey has a presentation tomorrow for her science class and she wants me to go over it with her before bed."

"Ah," Kate smirked.

"You know…two experts would probably be better than one in this case," Megan noted. "You could come too, offer your own suggestions."

"Do you think…are you ready to tell her about us?"

"Better sooner than later," Megan smiled back. "Since I'm hoping you'll stick around for a while."

Kate swallowed as she turned her eyes towards Megan. She took a deep breath and slowly reached between them, taking Megan's hand in her own, holding it firmly. Megan looked back at her, gratitude filling her eyes. She started to open her mouth to speak before closing it and simply enjoying the moment. She leaned her head on Kate's shoulder as they continued to look out over the runway, watching the sky as they waited to head back to Philly.


	16. Epilogue

_Six months later._

"Just got off the phone with Bud," Peter reported as he limped into the lab. "Erickson's in custody."

Megan nodded as she continued to sew the remaining stitches into the chest of the man lying on her table.

"I don't understand," he continued. "I thought Kate said the injunction wasn't…"

"I know what Kate said," Megan sighed.

"Oh, excuse me," Curtis huffed as he spotted the Chief making her way into the lab. "Let me step outta the line of fire for a minute. Come on, Peter."

Kate smiled at them politely as they brushed past her, then turned her glare on Dr. Hunt.

"You wanna tell me what this is?"

"It looks like," Megan pulled her gloves off and walked over to the sink, washing her hands quickly before taking a brief glance down at the report in Kate's hand. "A match on our killer. The one Bud and Sam just arrested."

"And did I say you could call the victim's family and…"

"You didn't say no."

Kate shook her head, tilting it to the side. Megan shrugged her shoulders as she smirked.

The blonde looked around the lab again for a minute before stepping closely behind the redhead, stealthily grabbing her ass before wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Just be glad this came back positive," she whispered in her ear, letting the heat from her breath linger against her skin.

"What if it hadn't?" Megan glared at her as she turned around and leaned against the exam table.

Kate thought for a moment.

"Nothing," she continued to whisper. "Just ask me next time, okay? You know I'm typically good for whatever you need."

"That I do," Megan buried her hands under the blonde's wavy locks and pulled her forward, kissing her fully. Kate returned the kiss, bringing her hands to Megan's waist again, indulging for a few moments.

"Don't mind me," Ethan popped up from behind a desk. The women jumped for a second before laughing a little and slowly pulling away from each other. "Not that you ever do…" he continued to mumble.

Just then, Megan's phone beeped. She reached into her coat pocket to check it.

"Lacey says she wants us both home by six thirty. I told her she could use the oven to make some sugarless, gluten-free pizza thing."

"Sounds great," Kate smiled, even as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey," Megan grabbed her tighter. "Remember, you signed up for this."

Kate flashed her brightest smile and kissed her again, long enough so there'd be no question that no matter how many times she could have done it over, she'd sign up for this every time.


End file.
